A Glance Into My World

The Beast

2010-03-30T10:34:00.017-05:00

In September we bought a 12 week old German Shepherd. We named him Titus. But his nick name is... The Beast.

The Beast enjoys being played with. He's very smart. He also likes to play with toys that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. He's good at it too.

He truly is a BEAST. He's huge, massive, ginormous and intimidating. He's still very much a puppy. He won't be one until July 3rd. Which means he's not done growing yet. YIKES!!!

The Beast is still being trained. My Knight believes he doesn't really need to "go to school". He feels we can train him here at our Castello. Being the submissive wife that I am, (through gritting teeth- which I guess really doesn't make me being submissive in my heart... I need to work on that) we are training him at home. We just need to remember to be consistent. He LOVES sitting on the first step. He sees us sitting on our couch, so he goes and sits on "his" seat. He's too cute. :)

He LOVES to play soccer and run. Good thing we have plenty of room to run and play!

He enjoys playing keep away too! My Knight and the Squires take him to the local doggy park. I have yet to go. I think it would freak me out to see him unleashed in a park. He's so playful, that I think children are going to run up to him and he'll want to "play" with them. He's in the "big clumsy" stage.

The Squires are trying to teach him to catch the frisbee. He's getting really good at catching it up in the air. I'll try to get a picture of that and share it. :)

The Beast only goes outside to do his "business" and to play. After running an playing, he enjoys laying on the grass and feeling the cool breeze.

Our neighbors have a little dog. What's funny is that we didn't know his name. So Soaring Amongst the Clouds dubbed him Harry. Turns out his real name is Eddy. But he'll always be Harry to us. Well, The Beast and Harry love playing together. They look so cute playing too. Sometimes The Beast will sit and look towards Harry's home. Hoping that Harry will come and play.

This is how big he is now. See, I told you he's HUGE! He's perfect for our family. He's protective, playful, smart and fun. He fits right in with our family. I look forward to our journey together.

faithfully His,
Lady G~

Foxes and Wild Turkeys!!!

2010-03-25T16:35:00.012-05:00

The last couple of weeks we've been having visits from Mr. Fox. Well actually the other day we had two foxes visit us. They were so cute. I wasn't able to get a picture of them. :( But two days later, I was able to get a picture of this one...

I was able to use my sisters GINORMOUS zoom lens. Thanks Boss Lady! You are the BEST and not only because you gave me your lens. :)

I sure do love living out where we live.

Oh the things we see. A while back we saw some...

Wild turkeys!!!!

A whole flock of them!

I didn't know they could fly!!!

Yep, they flew above the pine tree tops! Who knew wild turkeys had ups?!

faithfully His...
Lady G~

How do I love thee?

2010-03-18T09:34:00.005-05:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I LOVE my Knight. I'm not just saying that. I mean I REALLY LOVE my Knight. The poem above reaches me deep down to my soul. When my Knight's heart is heavy laden, mine is too. Not only do I LOVE him, but I admire him. I do not worship him. For I know he is human. As a human we all fail and fall short.

Why do I LOVE him so? Why do I think so highly of him? Well, because he is a godly man. A man who strives to do God's will. A man who doesn't care what people think about him, but what God thinks of him. He loves me in spite of my downfalls and weaknesses. He loves his family. Works hard to provide for his family. He's wise and humble. I could go on and on with examples. But the thought of him overwhelms me. Makes me cry with tears of happiness for all he is and sadness because of all that falls on him.

I want so much to be the woman God wants me to be... for him. The woman he need for me to be. The help mate God is calling me to be. Lord help me be that woman.

faithfully His...
Lady G~

20 Years Ago Today...

2010-03-17T17:54:00.014-05:00

... My baby brother went on to be with our Heavenly Father. He was 19 years old. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. One day, I will see him and his beautiful smile again. One day, I will hear his voice and laughter again. One day, I will feel his warm embrace, hug and kiss him again. I am looking forward to that One Day.

When I think of him, I think of snap shot moments. Not sure why. In the movies, you see flashback in action, not in snap shot moments. I wish I could think of him that way. Sometimes I do, but most of the time it's just fragments of moments. :(

In past posts, I've shared different things about him. I think today I will share 20 things I remember about him. They'll be in random order. Mainly because that's the way my brain works. One thought leads to another. So I'll just go with my brain flow. :) Sorry about that.

* When he was born, children weren't allowed up in the hospital room, unless they were patients. So the very first time my sister and I got to see him, was from my mom's hospital bedroom window. Even though we could hardly see him. We thought he was the most beautiful, cutest baby EVER!

* The home we mostly grew up in had granite floor. So he was allowed to ride his little Red Ryder tricycle around our home. He use to pretend he was a policeman. He had a little notebook and a pen. Even though he didn't know how to write (he was only 3 or 4 yrs old), he would give us tickets for "infractions". LOL! The infractions were anything from, not allowing him to come into our bedroom to not doing what he wanted us to do. LOL! Is that cute or what?! LOL!

* My dad use to keep his motorcycle inside our home, but in the florida room. I guess now, they would call that the sunroom. Well, no one was allowed to sit on the bike unless my dad was there. We all loved my dad's motorcycle. But my brother adored it. We would always want to sit on it. So against my dad's wishes, I would occasionally carry him and sit him on the motorcycle. I would also put the helmet on. He looked soooooo cute! Looking back, I realize how dangerous that really was. His guardian angel was always kept busy!

* One time I was really upset with my sister. I can't remember why, but I was. So I told my brother to pee on her. He was little (2 yrs old). Well, he peed on her. He laughed and I laughed. My sister cried and screamed. Boy did I get in trouble! And rightly so. That was wrong on so many levels.

* To my sister and I, he was our baby doll. We would pick his outfits and dress him up. One day we decided to put some of our mom's make up on him. We couldn't do anything with his hair cause my mom always kept his hair short. Needless to say, we got into trouble for that one too. My mom thought he looked cute, but my dad did not like it! You know how Cuban Machos are. LOL! I LOVE MY DAD!

* During the summer time, he use to work as a lifeguard at a local pool. He once had to dive in and rescue a little girl that was drowning. He said that was the most frightening and awesome thing ever. Frightening because the little girl's life was in his hands. Awesome because he helped someone in distress. He LOVED helping others.

* He ALWAYS LOVED the ladies. Even when he was a little boy. When he was little, he use to chase the girls around the playground and try to kiss them. I'm sure he would get in trouble today if he did that. But I must add, that he wasn't the only one that did the chasing. I remember him being chased quite often.

* When he would come to visit us at our Castello, we would have movie marathon nights. Sometimes it was James Bond marathons. Other times it would be Star Wars marathons. Yet other times it would be Clint Eastwood night. Yes, we LOVE action movies.

* Once when we were watching a movie, he was laying on the floor. While I was laying on the couch. My leg was dangling over the couch. He happen to touch it and said, "Ummm, Lady G, don't you think it's about time you shaved?!" LOL! Yep, he wasn't one to hold things back. I LOVED his sense of humor.

* When he was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, he decided one day to ride his motorcycle all the way back home... to Miami, Florida! At the time we lived in Orlando. So he made a pit stop at our home. Did I mention that his bike was a racing bike and not a cruising bike? Well now you know. It was not a comfy ride. For the return trip, he decided to fly back and have his bike shipped. LOL! Lesson learned at the tender age of 18. LOL!

* For my 15th birthday, my parents had a big celebration. For Latins, turning 15 is like turning 16 for Americans. That night, all eyes were on my brother. Why? Because he was a natural at dancing, among other things. He danced his little heart out! He stole the show and I didn't care. He was my brother and I LOVED him.

* When he was in elementary school he befriended three brothers who were new to this country. They were from Vietnam. My brother was their only friend. No one else wanted anything to do with them because they were different and ate different food. But my brother didn't care. They would often come to our house and play. I can still remember how they laughed and played, even though there was a language barrier.

* Sometimes when he and my sister would come to visit, we'd watch tv lying in my bed.

* When he started to grow hair under his arm pit, he didn't want to dry his arm pit after his showers. When we asked him why, he said he didn't want the hairs to fall off. Got to love the innocence of a child.

* His military buddies nicknamed him, The Outlaw. I once asked him why he was given that name. He told me, "You don't want to know." and he laughed. I never did find out. Guess I'll find out One Day when I see him again.

* He LOVED visiting us and spending time with our Fair Maidens. Which he always referred to as "his girls".

* I went into labor with Daughter of the King on February 13. When he found out, he kept telling me to hold her in. LOL! He wanted her to be born on February 14, Valentine's Day. He got to see pictures of her. But he never got to actually meet her or hold her. He passed away when she was 4 weeks old.

* On another visit, my brother, his girlfriend, my sister and I, decided to go to the mall. My Knight stayed home with our Fair Maidens. We left right as the mall was closing. He decided to drive. My sister told him to drive forward instead of backing out of the parking space. Well, turns out, there was one of those yellow (or white) concrete things that don't allow the car to go forward. But our front wheels did happen to make it over. The only problem is, the car got stuck. We couldn't drive forward or backward! Even though our dad knew everything about cars and how to fix them, my brother never learned anything about cars. Well, except makes and models. LOL! So we called... my Knight! He came to our rescue. But while we waited for him. We ended up have a "photo shoot". Boy did we have fun. Those pictures were always kept TOP SECRET! LOL! When he passed away, we put the pictures with him. To this day, my sister and I still laugh about that night.

* When we were younger, occasionally on the weekends, our family would get together with other family members and some old family friends. One of the families had a large backyard and a pool. On one of our gatherings, my brother was so excited that he ran and jumped in the pool. But the water was so cold, that it shocked him and he started to drown. My uncle had seen what happened and ran to rescue him. He became an expert swimmer after that.

* I was one week shy of turning 19 when I got married. My brother was 7 years younger than me. So he was 12 when I got married. My Knight was in the Army. So when we got married not only was I moving from home. I was moving to another state. As my Knight and I were getting in our car, my brother came running to me... crying. "I don't want you to go. Take me with you". He stood there as we drove off. He never saw my tears. I can still see him... standing there, crying...

I can honestly say I have no regrets about how I treated my brother when he was here with us. I KNOW that he knew that he was loved and cherished. I only wish that others would make the most of their time, with the ones they love. No one knows how much time we have left. Don't take it for granted...

For now, I am waiting for One Day.

faithfully His...
Lady G~

Missed Me?

2010-03-16T12:24:00.025-05:00

Lots has happened since I last wrote. I'm not even sure where to begin. Since so much has happened, I think I'll just start fresh. I'll just share what going on now. :)

Yesterday, The Warrior was given the ok to play sports again. He is to wear his ankle brace for one more month while playing. After that, he's good to go. A week before Christmas, he fractured his fibula and tibia. It was a nasty fracture.

Since he had cuts and abrasions, they put his leg in a soft cast. That way his cuts would heal quicker without getting infected.

Yep, it's swollen.

So his time was spent on the couch or in bed. He was under strict orders to keep off his foot. He didn't get a hard cast on until mid January. He kept the hard cast on for 8 weeks. After that he was given a hard boot. After the hard boot, he was given the ankle brace.

Since he's been recovering, that means we haven't been making any trips to and from the baseball fields. Which feels really strange. Because he's been playing baseball since he was 5! I wonder what God has in store for him now. Whatever it is, I know The Warrior will rise to the occasion.

G.I. Joe is now 16! Hard to believe that my baby is 16! Time sure has flown. He's in the 10th grade and we are still homeschooling. He's always wanted to play baseball for our local public high school. But since the athletic association is considering him a "transfer" student, because he was enrolled in a private school last year, he is ineligible to play for one year. The private school he was enrolled with didn't even have an athletic department. They offered no sports at all. Which means he should be eligible to play. Urgh! This has caused him much heart ache. So for now, he is not playing baseball either. :( He is devoting his time his studies, playing the guitar and the piano. Which by the way, he's learning to play on his own. He's such a talented young man. He has already told us that his goal is to attend West Point.

Daughter of the King is now 20! My baby girl has grown in a blink of an eye. *sniffle... sniffle... wiping a tear* She's so busy with school and is doing a great job. One morning a week she works as a child care provider at our church for the women's bible study group. She loves being with the little ones. On one of the other days, she helps in the quilting ministry. She really enjoys making quilts and being around the quilting ladies. They love her too, but what's not to love?! :) After quilting, she goes and babysits a little girl from our church. She always takes an activity to do with her. She certainly knows how to have fun with the little ones. Softball season has started again and she's decided to play. I sure do love cheering her on. I'm so proud of my Fair Maiden.

Still Waters is officially legal now... she's 21! HOW CAN THAT BE?!?!? She was born just yesterday! She is BIG TIME busy with her senior project. We don't get to see her much. :( She'll be graduating in April or May. Can't remember when the semester is over. I know, what kind of mother am I?! I'm so very proud of her. She's been on the Dean's List since she started college. I don't know if she remembers this, but when she was younger, I thought she was dyslexic. So I took her to get evaluated. Well, she wasn't dyslexic. She outgrew the writing "problem" I thought she had. LOL! Turns out she was gifted! Who knew?! (I did) Her IQ was 139. (I didn't know that!) Good thing we homeschooled. She had the freedom to learn and grow without bounderies. She has always left me in awe.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds has met her Knight in shinning armor. The Gallant Knight has been courting our Fair Maiden since November. But they had a chance to observe each other during the summer when they would all go out in a group. I must confess. When she graduated from high school and moved up to the college/career Sunday School class, he was in that class too. He had been attending our church a lot longer than we have. So,we had seen him around church when he was younger, but their paths had never really crossed. Probably because he's 6 years older than she is. Any way, when she moved up to the college/career Sunday School class and I met him, I knew he was the one for her. I knew they were perfect for each other. For fear of rebellion, I didn't mention it. God has a way of always making things work out. :)

She's studying education. Since she's in her senior year, she's interning at one of the local elementary schools. First half of the semester, she worked with one of the kindergarten class. She LOVED it. Now that they are in the second half of the semester, she's working with one of the 5th grade class. She's enjoying that too. I'm so very proud of her. She's so smart and creative. She's going to be a great teacher!

My Knight and I are doing great. This year he celebrated 20+ years working for the same company. It was awesome to see that others have been there for 30, 35 and 40+ years. He loves working there and he really loves what he does. He's been busy umping baseball games on the weekends. Why? Cause we are working hard on trying to get out of debt. He's reading a book by Dave Ramsey and we've also watched some of his dvd's. We've tried different ways and nothing really seemed to help. But his ideas are soooooo doable! In a matter of months, we are almost done paying off one of our two cards! YAY!!!! I've never been this excited about budgeting! I've always struggled with sticking to a budget. But this is really working! :) I'm so hopeful!

As for me. I'm just cruising along. Doing what I need to do. Being who I need to be. I'm seriously contemplating whether to take my sister's offer of going to Italy with her. Out of all the places I've traveled to, Italy is my favorite. I would live there if I could. But my place is next to my Knight. Where he is, I will be. But taking a 13 day trip with my sister, her best friend and her sister is really appealing. What to do, what to do?!?! I'll just continue to pray about it...

faithfully His...
Lady G~

Go... Go... Go!

2009-07-23T00:11:00.012-05:00

It has been non-stop since my last entry. I haven't really had the chance to sit and share what the dwellers of the Castello have been up to. But I must admit, that what spare time I have had, I've spent it on... Facebook. I think it's time fore me to say, "Hi, my name is Lady G and I'm a Facebook addict." Is there a support group for Facebook addicts?

Well, I don't have many pictures to share. Mainly cause I'm spending most of my time in the car driving here and there. But I will share what I do have...

Our Fair Maidens got back this past weekend from their mission trip. The went with World Changers to Brunswick, Georgia. They were blessed beyond measures as they were busy doing what God led them to do. We aren't sure how this happened, but Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters assigned to the same crew. Daughter of the King enede up not having anyone from our church group in her crew. Even so, they all enjoyed what they did. The crew they were assigned to worked on a home that was in much need for the roof to be repaired. In fact the home that Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters worked on, needed the trusses to be replaced. Then they replaced the roof and put new shingles. Both homes that our Fair Maiden's worked on needed the outside to be painted, lots of yard work and cleaning up the yards. I couldn't help but cry as I heard they stories they shared. I hope they take the time to write and entry about their trip. I know that you will be blessed by their stories, I was.

While on the trip, Soaring Amongst The Clouds got dehydrated. She was pretty bad off. They ended up giving her 2 bags of fluid. But trooper that she was, she was back to work the next day. I tell you, our Fair Maidens are young ladies that look delicate. But they are tough young ladies. God was watching over them and He took care of them.

The day after they got back, Daughter of the King came down with the flu. Praise the Lord it wasn't the swine flu! But none the less, it was the flu. She was feeling miserable! I wanted so bad to take a picture, but I knew she would KILL me (even though she didn't have the strength!) if I even got near my camera. My poor baby girl is still recovering as I write this.

Still Waters got her 4 wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. Needless to say, I'm still not allowed near my camera. :( My poor baby girl's cheeks are swollen. But praise the Lord she's not having pain. She feels sore, which is expected. The surgeon prescribed some good meds. :) I did make some chicken soup (for her and Daughter of the King) and they've been eating that. It seems to help. She's also putting ice packs on he cheeks and that's helping too. I've also had her put some arnica on her swollen little cheeks. I know it's old school, but hey, my Abuela Caky always had us use that for just about everything. It really does work!

Remember how I said that The Warrior made the 11-12 yr. old All-Stars team? Well, they won! They are District (insert our area number here) Champs! This coming Saturday they'll be playing in the Sectionals. After that comes the State Championship. Then Reginals follow. After that... The Little League World Series at Williamsport! Yep, every little boy's dream! Oh, I forgot to mention that when they won the District Championship, they were UNDEFEATED!!! They ten run rulled all the teams they played! Those little players played their little hearts out. Oh, what's even KEWELER is that since my Knight is the team manager, he said a prayer and a little devotion before every game. How AWESOME it that?! None of the players or their parents objected. God is good... ALL the time!

As I'm writing this The Warrior has a 102.2 temp. I believe he has what Daughter of the King has. He doesn't want to miss the game this Saturday. I (we) would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for him. Not just him, but for ALL our children.

G.I Joe will start packing tomorrow. He'll be going to (insert another state's name here) to an Academy. I really can't share to much about this right now. But I will when he gets back. He is really excited and so are we. We know that this is an awesome opportunity for him to learn and grow. He'll be rooming with a friend. I can't wait to see what God has in store for him while he's gone. Please pray for him as the Lord leads you to. Thank you. :) I will update this the day he leaves and I will add a picture of his departure. :)

As for me, I am heavyhearted. My sister in Christ is dealing with the tragic loss of her soul mate. She is having to explain to their 6 yr old, things that he shouldn't have to deal with at his tender age. My heart aches for them. I am finding myself hugging my loved ones a little tighter and saying, "I love you" more often.

Thoughts of my brother Toots and my Abuela Caky keep raising through my mind. I miss them terribly. My Abuela taught me so much. When I first got married, she was the one I called for cooking tips. Our phone bill was astronomical! Considering I was first calling her from Louisiana and she lived in Florida. Then we were stationed in Germany! She is the wisest woman I have ever known. I'm thankful that she knew that I loved her and she new how very important she was to me. My Toots was the brother all girls wished they had. He was my sunshine. Just being around him one couldn't help but feel at ease. He had such charisma and charm. What makes it a bittersweet for me is that my precious G.I. Joe is the spitting image of my Toots. Not just in looks, but "how" he is, how he acts. They way he says things, his humore, his outlook on things. There are times, that my eyes just well up at the thought, "My Toots would of loved being our Squires' uncle". He was already a wonderful uncle to our Fair Maidens. The thought that they are growing up without him... is sometimes unbearable. :(

I have to keep reminding myself that God keeps His promises. His Word is true. I hold on to the hope that one day we will ALL be reunited. What a sweet reunion that will be. Until then... I hold on to His promise and remain faithful.

Faithfully His...
Lady G~

What's Going On?

2009-06-28T16:49:00.014-05:00

Well, let me tell you...

The Warrior made the All-Star 11-12 yr. old Little League Baseball team. WAY TO GO BABY!!! My Knight will be managing/coaching the team. We are THRILLED beyond words. This will be The Warrior's last chance to try to make it to The Little League World Series in Williamsport. He's very excited and is really enjoying getting to play with the other players. He's also loving the fact that "dad"is going to be there every step of the way. :) G.I. Joe has been helping out with the practices too. GREAT bonding going on with the three men in my life. What a blessing!

Soaring Amongst The Clouds has been busy learning to scuba dive and surf. What can I say, our children are adventurous! It's in the blood! I'm so proud of them! IF you'd like to see some of the picutres, head on out to her blog. She's LOVING it! She was taking a summer online class. It was a 12 week class. Well, she finished it in 6 weeks! Pretty focused and determined, huh?! She's enjoying her summer.

Still Waters took a summer class also. Which happened to be very interesting. I can't remember the title of the class. But it had something to do with learning about Asian Religion. She had to attend a Buddhist ceremony. She had a hard time trying to find a Buddhist temple, but she found one. Did you know that women do not attend their services? Well, they don't. She was the ONLY female there. Needless to say she felt very uncomfortable and didn't stay for the entire ceremony. But she was able to gather some information and took some outside pictures of the temple. She didn't feel it was appropriate to take pictures inside. I hope she journals about it, because I think you would be very interested in seeing what she observed. You can check her blog out and see if she's updated it. She has also been very busy working in the Media Center at the U. She works 5 days a week. We really miss not seeing her throughout the day.

Daughter of the King has been quite busy. She has also taken up surfing. She's loving it too! Aside from that, she is working as a part-time nanny. Yep. Our nephew, The Constible and his wife, La Madre, needed help with their two little ones. Boo and Buttons are 2 yrs. old and 10 months old. La Madre is studying to get her real estate lisence. The Constible is the PR officer for the Sherrif's office and he's also a real estate agent. They are quite busy. So Daughter of the King helps them out 3 days a week. She's getting to spend some quality time with the wee ones and everyone's loving it!

G.I. Joe just got back from a baseball/mission trip. He had a wonderful time. The Coach of the school where he plays sports at, asked him if he wanted to partake in this mission trip. He was the only one from Florida that attended. The other young men were from Kansas, Mississippi and Georgia. The Coach go to go along too. They went to help a church set up for Vacation Bible School (VBS). The young men's main job was to canvas the local area and get the word out for the church's VBS. During the day they knocked on doors and talked to people or had the doors slammed in their faces. But they were all in good spirits. In total, they visited over 1000 homes in 4 days! At night, they played baseball games against local schools. They got to play 4 games. They won three of them. They were suppose to play 5, but one game got cancelled due to rain. Even so, they had an awesome trip. The organization they went with is called Operation Renewed Hope. They are talking about going to Panama or Domincan Republic next year. This is not new to them, they've been there before. When they visit other countries, they hold baseball camps, take medical supplies and share the gospel. The boys that attended this year, my G.I. Joe included, were new to this type of mission trip. G.I. Joe is very excited and can't wait!

We got to go see one of the baseball games cause it was only 2 1/2 hours away. So I was able to take... 300 pictures! :) It was good to see my G.I. Joe. We were all missing him terribly. This was his first trip alone. Well, he's been on mission trips before. But my Knight and the Fair Maidens have gone along with the group too. This was his first trip without any family along. One he got home, he did tell me that he had missed us all. Be still my heart...

My Knight took a week off. I would like to say it was a vacation, but it really wasn't. I guess it was a vacation "away" from work. LOL! It was wonderful to have him home with us. Except G.I. Joe wasn't home to enjoy it, but that's ok. He was blessing and being blessed where he was at. ;) Well, being that my Knight was on vacation, he decided to help the All-Star team get ready for the upcoming games. So, they had two practices a day! Yep.. 3hrs in the morning and 3 hrs in the evening. If you are from Florida, you can attest to what I'm about to share. It's been record HOT in the Sunshine State! These boys practiced their little hearts out and NEVER complained! In fact, they wanted to keep going! I kid you not!!! We were all amazed! The parents were ready to go home, but the players wanted to keep playing! Don't worry we are BIG into keeping hydrated! At every practice, we had a cooler full of iced water. They had plenty of water breaks too. On the last day of double practice some of the parents decided to eat out at Chili's. We had a great time. The team is really gelling. They really get along great. We are very hopeful. ;)

My Knight and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary, on June 19. We have been married over half of our lives. I'm sooooooo awesomely blessed! I can't begin to share what a wonderful man my Knight is. I'm so thankful that God saw fit to bring the two of us together. God is good ... ALL the time.

I... am... officially... now.... 46!!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Yep, my Knight turned 46, two months and two days ago. So we are both 46. :) You know what?! 46 feels GREAT!!! I'm loving where I'm at right now. Things keep getting better! You know that story about the lady wanting to be buried with a fork? She told the pastor that when people asked why she had a fork, that he was to tell them, because dessert is always served last, so the best is yet to come. That's truly how I feel. Every step of the way, I've felt, "it can't get any better than this, this is good right now!" Well it has, and it keeps getting better and better. Life is good... cause God is good... ALL the time!

Chosing to stay positive and see the good...
Lady G~

T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already) Nationwide Party

2009-04-15T20:46:00.030-05:00

Where do I even begin for this entry?!?!?! Well, April 15th is Tax day here in the states. It's the day our taxes are due. Let me start off by saying that I have no problems paying taxes. I have an issue with the government tell me where and how to spend my money. Not only that, but my children's money too!

I am registered as a Republican. But I don't consider my self a Republican, Democrat or a Liberal. I'm just a citizen of the US of A. I vote according to my believes and my views.

Ok, back to what this entry is all about. Some US citizens have had enough (me and mine included). All across our nation, T.E.A (Taxed Enough Already) Parties were scheduled to take place. Some places even did a modern day tea dumping like they did in the original Boston Tea Party in 1773.

We decided to participate in one of the T.E.A Parties. So we got busy and made some signs...

Being that Still Waters is the "artsy" one, she sketched out the letters....

... for our signs.

Each of us came up with what we wanted written on our signs.

We each decorated...

... and colored our own sign.

The Warrior and G.I. Joe made this sign as a joke. At the gathering, they were going to be selling pork and tea for lunch.

I told them we could go to the Italian restaurant that was near by the gathering and have pizza for lunch. Hence their sign. LOL!

Still Waters was loading up the car to head out to the University. Since she had classes, we decide to go to the T.E.A. Party close to her school, instead of the one that was held in our town. That way at least 5 out of the 7 dwellers of the Castello were able to take a stand together. G.I. Joe and The Warrior rode with her. They enjoy riding with her.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds rode with me. Daughter of the King had classes at the Alumni University, so she wasn't able to take a stand with us. My Knight had to work so he wasn't able to attend either. :o( But they were with us in spirit.

G.I. Joe is the most outgoing one. So his sign fit him to a "T". LOL! His sign had two sides. The other side read, "Don't Tax Me Bro!". Yep, very him! LOL!

Four dwellers of the Castello taking a stand for what they believe in. I'm so proud of them.

Some of the pictures were taken by Still Waters. I'm ashamed to say that I did not take individual pictures of my children. :o( I was so caught up in the moment, that I took plenty of pictures of everything else and group pictures of my children, but none of them individually.

I love quotes. I specially love quotes from Thomas Jefferson! So I was very pleased to see some of his quotes on signs.

There were quite a few opposing "change" signs.

LOTS of Fair Tax signs. I personally don't know much about this proposal. I have to check it out and see what it's all about.

There were people of all ages, walks of life and nationalities taking a stand for what they believed.

This was probably one of my favorites. :o) I wanted my sign to read, "I'll Keep My Guns, Freedom & Money, You Can Keep The "Change". But I wasn't sure what to expect once we got to the gathering.

Let me just say, it's not an Obama issue. We aren't in this mess because of him. We aren't in this mess because of President Bush either. We are in this mess because things have been getting out of hand for years! It can not continue!

LOVED this one too!

I LOVED this one too. THIS... has been forgotten. We need to remember how this country was founded and why.

A quote by one of my favorite presidents. Honest Abe is my favorite. Ronald Reagan is my second favorite.

There aren't that many things made in the USA any more. :o( But I do try to buy American made items as much as possible. I also like to support small local business as much as possible. Keep as much cash in our community as we can. Supporting our local Farmer's Market too. ;o)

My famiy and I were having a great time. While I was walking around taking pictures. These two ladies approached my children. They started questioning/quizzing G.I. Joe. When I saw them talking to my children I got closer so I could hear what they were talking about. G.I. Joe was holding his own. But then she started getting a little more forceful. Mainly cause he wasn't giving in to her way of thinking. Our children have been taught to respect their elders and to be polite. At this time, I stepped in. Mama Bear came out with her claws, but with a smile. I spoke up and we went round and round. I was not attempting to change her mind, but she was certainly trying to get me to change mine. So I decided to end it and said, "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." To wish she replied, "No, you'll just have to get more educated in the matter." In essence she was calling me stupid! That ruffled my feathers. But my response was, "I pray that you see the Light."

I kept my composure. I kept thinking that my children were with me. I need to set an example. I'm a woman who loves and fears the Lord. What example am I setting as a Christ follower? Thinking all that helped me to stay the course. God is good... ALL the time!

The T.E.A Party had some speakers who shared some testimony. One of the ladies was Cuban. She shared her story of how she came to the US. She shared about her life in Cuba. I cried. Made me think of all the stories my dad has shared through the years. We are so blessed to live in a FREE country. I know that we are not like Cuba or China. But we are starting to lose some of our freedom. And frankly... that TICKS ME OFF! Ok, I need to compose myself. Smile and be nice...

Once we were all hungry, we started walking towards the restaurant. As we were getting closer, a man came running out of the restaurant. He stopped us and asked if he could take our picture. This is the only group picture we have with all of us in it.

We had a great lunch. My Squires and I had ordered a large cheese pizza. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters shared a pepperoni and sausage calzone. Let me tell you... the food was DELISH!!!

The Squires having some fun. We had bought 2 1liter drinks. We only drank one, so we took the other one home. Looking at this picture, I realized they dressed alike. LOL! Granted the kaki shorts are a different shade, but they are still kaki. The print on their t-shirts are different too, but they both wore dark blue shirts. LOL! Great minds think alike. ;o)

All in all we had a great day. It was inspiring to have our family together standing up for what we each believe in. I wish my Knight and Daughter of the King would of been able to partake with us. Well, maybe for the next one. Which I hear through the grapevine, will be held on the 4th of July! Imagine that! How FANTABULOUS is that going to be?!!!!

Pictures, Lots Of Them And More!

2009-04-13T20:54:00.039-05:00

I have to admit, that I have been to lazy to post entries on my blog. Most of my family and friends are on facebook. So, I've been updating that daily. Sharing photos and seeing how everyone I know and care about is doing. But honestly, it's the not same as keeping a journal.

By keeping this online journal, I'm able to share my pictures. Not only that but my ideas, my views, what I think and my heart. When others read this, it might make someone laugh. It might make someone think, "Hey, I don't have it so bad, this woman is a looney, her poor family!" I hope that what I share might be able to minister to others in some small way. That my love for God, my man, my children, family and friends shines through. That Life is good cause God is good. I know it sounds simplistic, but that's how I see things. That's how I feel.

Well, lol, my intentions were just to share the pictures that I've recently taken. Somehow, I started chasing a rabbit. I've put it back in the cage now... poor thing. I'll have to let it out again, cause it really shouldn't be caged up. Would you want to be caged up?

Ok, here we go...

You must be wondering what in the world are they doing here. Well, the amplifier connection thingy on G.I Joe's acoustic guitar, came off. He had to unstring his guitar, so that I could stick my hand inside and try to poke the thingy out so it can be screwed on the outside. Sounds complicated right? Well it was! It took us FOREVER to get it done. But it got fixed and we didn't have to pay anyone to do it! YEAH!

Softball season has started! Our church joined a church league. I'm thrilled to say that this is the first time that my Knight and two of our Fair Maidens are on the same team. In the past, my Knight has played on the men's team and our Fair Maiden's, at the time played on the women's team. My Knight hasn't played in years due to being busy with our Squires and baseball. But this year, all of our Squire's games are early and the softball games are later. So... he's playing on the co-ed team. YEAH!!!

Soaring Amongst The Clouds giving it her all. Way to go BABY GIRL!

Daughter of the King waiting for a good pitch.

My man smacking the ball...

... he got a double!!! YEAH BABY!!! YOU ROCK!!!

I LOVE MY MAN!!!

Still Waters and DQ were spectators at the game. *chasing rabbit* DQ will be 15 in October. Due to how she has matured through the years, I feel she should no longer be called DQ. Which stood for Drama Queen. She was quite the actress growing up. LOL! From hence forward she shall be known as Bella which means Lovely in Italian, but it's also her favorite character in her favorite book series, Twilight. Boss Lady (my sister) and Papa (my nephew) were sitting in the shade.

G.I. Joe and The Warrior sat and watched the games with their friends. It was a hot day, but they had a great time.

Before my sister left, some of us went to Sonics to eat. It's Papa's favorite hamburger place. He was telling us that they show the Sonics commercial in Miami, but there is no Sonics there. What an awful tease!

Papa's hair has gotten long. When he wears his cap, his hair kind of looks even fuller. So I was playing with it and flattening it on the side for our picture. We were all having a good laugh over it.

Bella has a beautiful smile.

My beautiful sister and I.

She's so photogenic!

URGH!!! He always give me a hard time about pictures. But I sure love this boy!

G.I. Joe and The Warrior are playing baseball for a local private school. I'm THRILLED to say they are on the same team. G.I. Joe was elected captain of the team. What an honor!

My Squires taking practice swings.

The Warrior is the youngest in the team. He is the only 6th grader on the team. Let me tell you, he can hold his own among the high school players!

G.I. Joe is a lefty when it come to playing sports. But when it comes to everything else, he's a righty.

Notice how... ah... gigantic the first baseman is. Well, most of the players on the other team were just like the first baseman! I can not tell you how many times G.I. Joe stole the bases. He went from 1st to home stealing along the way, a couple of times during the game. He had an awesome game.

The Warrior started out playing second base. Then they moved him to third base. Let me tell you, my heart stopped when they moved him to third base! I kept thinking, "He's just a baby! My little David is playing against Giant (hitters!)" We all know that third base is a "hot spot". Did I mention that he did great? Well, he did! *note- his name is not David. LOL!

G.I. Joe pitched...

... the entire game! We lost, but we had an AWESOME rally. The score in the end was 11-9.

On Easter weekend, we saw a chance to visit our family in Miami and we took it! I'm sorry to say it was only an overnight trip. :o( This picture breaks my heart. Papi (my dad) hated to see us go.

The Warrior must of said something funny (like he always does) cause his sisters were trying real hard to hold it in.

Papi attempting to be at eye level with the Fair Maidens. LOL! He's so cute! Notice, Daughter of the King is in the picture. Well, she sings in the choir. Being that it was Easter weekend, our church had a special choir presentation. She had commited to be present. So she stayed home to fulfill her commitement.

We were having lots of fun trying to take a "group" picture. Notice The Warrior is holding my hand down. I was attemtpting the "gangsta" look. LOL! I'm sure my children were thinking, "Mom... PLEASE... Don't embarass yourself! Specially not on film!" LOL! I'm happy to say, I have no gangsta in me. LOL! Which I'm sure my children are thrilled about it!

Boss Lady (my sister), Papi and I.

Have I mentioned how much I love my dad? Well, I LOVE MY DAD!!! HE ROCKS!!! Because of the example he set, I married the man I did. My Knight is everything and more than I ever dreamed my husband would be. My mom didn't come out in any of the pictures cause she stayed inside looking at some photo albums. All the pictures I took indoors didn't come out. :o( Well, except for the one of my dad and G.I. Joe.

Notice my dad's shirt? He has a closet full and drawer set full of t-shirts just like the one he's wearing. I'm not kidding and I'm not exaggerating. He wears one EVERY day. Do you think he's proud to be an American? :o)

I am 18 months older than my sister. She has ALWAYS been taller than me. Well, except for the first two years of her life. I was taller than her. :o) This is typical of us. She towering over me and me sticking my tongue out or making some kind of funny face.

My sister is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! Her smile and laughter are contagious. She's fun to be around and is always the life of the party.

How many takes did it take to get one good picture? Let's just say that you need to hands to count them. I was having too much fun misbehaving! :o)

This Easter was a little different for us. Since we didn't go to church, no one dressed up. Everyone loved their Easter baskets. Chocolte galore! Soaring Amongst The Clouds got some scuba gear. Still Waters got some clothing and so did Daughter of the King.

The Squires loved thier gifts too. G.I. Joe got a psp. The Warrior got a playstaion 3 game he's been wanting.

The Monday after Easter we all just chilled out at home. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters went to the University to work on a project. The rest spent the day outside...

sharpening their softball skills...

and their baseball skills...

... even Nicodemus got in on the fun. Nicodemus loves The Warrior and the love is mutual. I love this picture. This is so... them. :o)

Let me just end this by saying that, I LOVE MY FAMILY! I'm so very blessed!!! Thank you Lord for blessing me beyond my wildest dreams... my cup runneth over...

Sharing A Poem

2009-03-29T15:44:00.003-05:00

Today I was watching one of Soaring Amongst The Clouds' favorite movie, White Squall. Great movie by the way. A lesson could be learned by all. I suggest you watch it.

Well, in the movie the quoted part of a poem. If was a poem I'd heard in my youth, but had forgotten about it. So, I decided to google it. I was led to share it...

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

*note from me- I love poems, songs, stories, anything that tells a story. I'm very emotional and passionate. Feelings within me stir and burst out. I don't know why, that's just the way I am. This poem stirred many different emotions. In the end, it left me crying...

Care to share one that has spoken to you? That has stirred you?

G.I. Joe Is 15!!!

2009-03-09T22:47:00.002-05:00

Be still my heart... my first born son is 15 today!

Since I was a little girl, all I ever wanted was to be a wife and a mom. I wanted to be just like the mom on Cheaper By The Dozen. Not the new on but the "old" one. The one that's black and white, filmed in 1950. Click here to check it out. Anyway, I wanted to have 12 children, but all before I was thirty! I just didn't want to be 30 and pregnant. Which leads me to why I'm sharing all this. On my 30th birthday, I found out I was pregnant with... yep... you guessed it... G.I. Joe.

He was an answer to three little Fair Maiden's prayers. They would constantly ask, "When are we going to have a little brother?" They would pray throughout the day... at breakfast, lunch, dinner and at bedtime. You think they wanted a brother?! LOL! They prayed faithfully for four years. I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled, ecstatic, overjoyed.... they were, when we shared the news.

It's a wonder he ever learned how to walk. They were constantly wanting to hold him and carry him. The Fair Maidens were always eager to lend a helping hand when it came to taking care of G.I. Joe. I would often find Daughter of the King sitting on the couch with him on her laps while she read to him or her sitting by his crib reading to him. Soaring Amongst The Clouds would not let any babysitter touch her brother. The Fair Maidens only allowed each other to put him to sleep, give him his bottle, feed him and change his diapers. A Prince had been born and they were there to pamper and take care of him. He was so loved.

In honor of G.I. Joe's 15th birthday, I will share 15 things about him...

* He smiles all the time and it's contagious.

* His hazel, brown eyes sparkle, and I'm not just saying that. It's the truth.

* He loves Jesus and it's evident.

* People gravitate to him.

* Easy going.

* A charmer to boot!

* Great sense of style.

* Athletic

* Catches on quick to whatever he's trying to learn.

* Humorous

* Committed

* Confident, but not conceited.

* Friendly and Fun

* Mature

* Loving and Caring

It's hard to make a list and just share 15 things about him. He has so many wonderful qualities that I love. But for now 15 is the limit.

I am so blessed that God chose me to be his mom. He has brought so much joy, happiness, fun and love to my life. Not just mine, but to the lives of the dwellers of the Castello. Not just to the dwellers of the Castello, but to those who know him. This world is a better place because of him.

Sweetie,

God has a plan for your life. Keep following the path He's laid before you and you won't go wrong. He is the Promise Keeper. He will be with you, every step of the way. Stay the course...

*I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be...

mom~

* From the book, Love You Forever. It was your favorite book when you were little. I made up a little song to that verse. I would hold you, rock you and sing it to you....

An Attempt To Catch Up!

2009-03-06T12:07:00.008-05:00

Lately, things have been non-stop! I don't know what ever gave me the idea that things were going to slow down once I only had 2 to homeschool! LOL! MY WORD!!! I haven't been this busy since my children were wee ones!!!

Let me say this loud and clear, "I am NOT complaining!" I LOVE being a wife and a mom. I LOVE my life. I know that my children will only be with me for a moment in time. The time will come when they will get married and move away. So I am enjoying and making the most of my time with them. :o)

I'm proud to say that Soaring Amongst The Clouds made the President's List once again. In order to be on that list, you have to have a 4.0 average. Way to go Baby Girl!!! Still Waters made the Dean's List. You Go Girl!!! Daughter of the King is really enjoying this semester. She got to take some sign language classes and is LOVING it! She's so good at it.

Baseball season has started... YEAH!!! Which means that softball season has started too... YEAH!!! The Squires are playing in two teams. G.I. Joe is is playing for the Junior Little League and a local private school. The Warrior is playing for the Major Little League and the same local private school as his brother. This is the second time they'll be on the same team. I'm really excited about them playing together again.

The season has started off great. G.I. Joe is playing for the Diamondbacks Junior League. He's been pitching, catching and playing first base. He hasn't been a catcher in years, but he's enjoying it and he's doing great.

G.I. Joe started taking guitar lessons. Actually he got two free lessons from the place we bought his guitar. The instructor was more into jazz and other music that my G.I. Joe was really not into. Well, it turns out that JC has a friend who gives guitar lessons. What's even better is that he comes to our home! Which is AWESOME! The Teacher and G.I. Joe have similar taste in music. Which is working out very well. According to what The Teacher has shared with me, G.I. Joe is blessed with musical talent. He's learning at a quick pace. The Teacher said that he's not had to review anything that he's taught G.I. Joe. He picks it up the moment he's taught. Which is why he's able to learn and move on. He's been taking 1/2 hr. lessons once a week, for one month now. He's really doing a great job. I don't know how he does it, but if he hears something, he is able to "fiddle" with the guitar and come up with what he heard. It amazes me. Way to go... G.I. Joe!

The Warrior is playing for the Dodgers Minor League. He is pitching, playing center field, first base and third base. Guess he's a jack of all trades. He's having a great time. Oh, he was asked if he wanted to play in his brother's team (the private school team). At first he didn't want to play. But sometimes he needs a little nudge. So we nudged. ;o) He is LOVING it! I have NEVER seen him laugh or smile as much as he does when he's around the school team. He's really enjoying it.

My Knight is staying very busy. He is no longer President of the Little League. YEAH!!! It really was a very big commitment. If you know him personally, you know how committed he is when he commits. :o) He's a man of his word. I LOVE that about him! Well, now he's only on the Board of Directors. He's the Information Officer. He keeps the website and all the little league team information up to date. He is also The Warrior's team manager. He's AWESOME at it! Not because he's my man, but he ROCKS!!! He is also on the same softball team as Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King. This is the first time ever father and daughters have been on the same team! I'm so excited and so are they! I use to play with our Fair Maidens, but that was before my brain surgeries. I'm so looking forward to the games!

As for me, well... I'm driving our Squires to and from practices. Trying to keep up with the laundry! Attempting to keep Nicodemus' fluff tumblehair (tumbleweed) from tumbling through our Castello. He's a golden retriever and shed like CRAZY!!! But like I said, before I know it, my babies will be all grown and gone. So I'm making the most of it now. My cup runneth over...

My Baby Girl Is 19 Today!

2009-02-13T21:48:00.007-05:00

My Knight, the birthday girl- Daughter of the King and me- the blessed mom!

G.I. Joe, Daughter of the King and The Warrior. How many times did I have to "try" and get a good picture? Five!!!

Our Fair Maidens... Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Daughter of the King and Still Waters.

Today, 19 years ago, Daughter of the King was born. She has been a blessing since the moment she was conceived. In her honor, I will share 19 character traits about her that I admire...

* godly

* faithful

* loving

* caring

* adventurous

* helpful

* logical

* expressive

* trustworthy

* wise

* cheerful

* friendly

* sweet

* athletic

* thoughtful

* stubborn

* witty

* thankful

* polite

Those that know her personally know that the list I've compiled is small considering all her wonderful character traits. My lit could go on and on, but I limited it to 19 since it's her 19th birthday.

Sweetie,
You are such a blessing to me and those around you. I'm so thankful God chose me to be your mom. God's light shines brightly in you and we can all see it. Stay the course...
love,
Mom~

Finishing The Sentence

2009-01-29T22:58:00.006-05:00

1. I love... my Knight in shining armor, my Fair Maidens and my Squires

2. Right now I want... to runaway from here and take my family with me.

3. I feel like... the young men and women of today do not know how to commit.

4. I hate it when... I forget to turn the oven timer on. Which happens ALL the time. Which means, I burn whatever I bake. Which is why I can't bake.

5. I fear... that I will fail my children.

6. I'm lonely without... my loved ones around.

7. I need... my Lord and Savior.

8. Today I... cleaned the Squires bedroom and bathroom.

9. Tomorrow I'm... hoping to feel better. The Boss Lady (my sister) bought two tickets (one for her and one for me) to Celine Dion's concert. I really don't want to miss it.

10. I just... don't understand how someone can say I love you and their actions don't show it.

11. I want to meet... Jesus.

12. I'm hungry for... an Outback steak, potatoes, salad and blooming onion!

13. I love it when... my Knight hugs me, I feel loved and protected.

14. I'm afraid of... my loved one dying and not knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

15. I'm listening to.. My Knight and Still Waters laughing .

16. I'm wearing... my pajamas.

17. I wish I was in... Colorado, skiing with my family.

18. I'm craving.... white chocolate.

19. I want to get... my hair straightened.

20. I can... watch reruns of my programs, over and over again.

21. I can't... understand why my family likes to watch UFC or MMA.

22. I have... a loving family.

23. I haven't... seen my dad in over three months. I miss him terribly!

24. I'm nervous to... mess up my Christian witness.

25. My Mom thinks I'm... married to a wonderful man. She's right!

26. My Dad thinks I'm... a wonderful mom.

27. I think... Life is good, cause God is good... ALL the time!

28. I'm happy when... my beloveds are happy.

29. I'm sad when... my beloveds are sad.

30. I like eating... junk food!

31. I hate eating... vegetables, so I don't eat them.

32. I love watching... my children play sports.

33. I love listening to... my children's laughter.

34. I like playing... with my Knight. ;o)

35. I hate waking up to... the sound of the alarm.

36. I can see... God's blessings.

37. I'm glad that... God is my Lord and Savior!

38. I'm disappointed that... I haven't been an effective witness to my unsaved family.

39. I look like... myself.

40. I wish I looked like... no one else.

Did Someone Say Zumba?!

2009-01-18T21:14:00.005-05:00

Ok... I... AM... HOOKED on ZUMBA!!! I first heard about it a couple of years ago. I saw a commercial for the dvd's. I thought, "Oh, I would LOVE to do that!" But it was new and one ever knows exactly what you are getting when you purchase dvd's. So I forgot all about it.

Until... a fellow homeschooler shared that she was attending Zumba classes at the Y. WHAT?!?! The Y in the next town has Zumba?!?! The offered our homeschool group a 3 day free pass. I went to one of the classes. That's all it took. SIGN ME UP BABY!!!

They offer the class 4 times a week. At present time I'm only able to attend 2 of the classes. :o( I wish I could go 6 days a week. The workout is PHENOMINAL!!! FUN!!! EASY!!! When our hour of exercise is done, I leave feeling like I haven't had enough. I want MORE!!!

When I first started Zumba, I was weighing 126-130lbs. Wearing a size 7 or 9. I am presently weighing 110lbs. Wearing a size 3/4 or a 2 (if bought in Target). Aside from doing Zumba, I'm eating smaller portions and drinking more water. I am still eating whatever I want to eat, but in smaller portions. I'm still eating sweets, chocolates, coke and fast foods. I've also started to eat lost more fruits... specially pineapple. YUMMO!!!

What I love even more about it, is that my Fair Maidens also enjoy Zumba. This is something that all four of us go and do together. You should hear us in the car on the way to class. I have some AWESOME Zumba type songs on my ipod. We crank it up and get all worked up before we even get to class. Once we are there, we are READY!!! Let me tell you... you should see them shake their stuff! I didn't know they had it in them!!! WAY TO GO BABY GIRLS!!! You do me proud!!! ;o)

The Squires Bake Their First Cake!

2009-01-18T16:55:00.007-05:00

Yep, you read that correctly. They baked their first cake. They were supervised by Daughter of the King, but they were unassisted. The results we absolutely DELISH and BEAUTIFUL to behold.

The youth Sunday School classes had a little competition. I can't remember all the categories, but two of them were best tasting and best presentation.

G.I. Joe decided to bake a chocolate chip chocolate glazed bunt cake.

He used fresh strawberries to help decorate the cake. He drizzled chocolate glaze over the bunt cake and....

... the strawberries. The end result was....

... BEAUTIFUL! He won second place for the best dessert presentation. People were quite surprised. They all know that our Fair Maidens have great cooking/baking skills and wondered if he had any help. But they also know that the dwellers of the Castello are not cheaters. ;o) WAY TO GO G.I. JOE!!!

The Warrior baked a lemon delight cake. He grated the lemon and orange.

Mixed it with drained mandarins and cool whip. YUM!!!

Poured the mixture over the pineapple cake....

... and coated the cake with the frosting. Let me tell you... it was DELICIOUS!!! All were amazed that a 12 yr. did such a great job. What can I say, he takes after his dad, his sisters and his brother! WAY TO GO WARRIOR!!!

No Longer Courting

2009-01-16T13:23:00.005-05:00

Daughter of the King and Steps are no longer courting. They have different views and opinions on some issues.

I commend people who stand firm on their believes. Well as long as they don't judge and/or try to impose their believes, opinions or views on others. Accept the difference as long as it doesn't compromise your standards.

Steps couldn't accept the difference of some of the issues he felt strongly about. Which is fine. When God convicts us of something, we should follow through with those convictions. But we need to be careful and not impose it on someone else. Daughter of the King was willing to accept the differences and has since the beginning. She felt as long as she didn't compromise her standards all was well.

Now that they are no longer courting she feels that God has used this to strengthen her. Not only has she grown spiritually from this experience, but she has become wiser and maturer. She is an awesome, godly young lady. God is good... ALL the time.

We don't know what the future holds for Steps, Daughter of the King or any of us. But we do know WHO holds the future. We stand firm on His Word. We know He is a promise keeper.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
-Jeremiah 29:11

So Much Has Happened....

2009-01-09T11:01:00.049-05:00

... I don't know where to start! Some I can't share because it's has to do with others that aren't family members. I don't feel I can share, even though it involves my loved ones. But please pray for those we love. The evil one is working hard and we all know that this is his playground. Most importantly, we know God is greater and He prevails!

I will share some other things that have happened...

Thanksgiving...

We had a great Thanksgiving. My family wasn't able to travel up this year. My dad had to work on Friday. :o( So we had a small Thanksgiving gathering... the 7 dwellers of the Castello. :o) We did had fun though...

We did what like to do most... be outside and have fun. Look at my Knight! He's still got it!!! YEAH BABY!!!

I love this picture. Can't pinpoint why, but there's something about it. The Warrior says, that G.I. Joe is using the force. LOL! We all thought that was funny.

Love this picture too. LOL! Soaring Amongst The Clouds is trying her hardest and G.I. Joe is just standing there. Love the way her hair looks. I really wish I could see her face. She's so expressive.

G.I. Joe trying to one up his dad. My Squire has a lot to learn. Some day when he's a dad, he'll see.

The Warrior enjoyed some bb gun target shooting. He's quite good at it too.

I had some fun target shooting also. But I need lots of practice!

Still Waters getting into it too! She rocks in target practice too, but she rocks all the time any way.

Daughter of the King was having fun shooting too, except she was using the camera.

Daughter of the King put down the camera and got in on the fun also.

The Squires like to cook and bake. This was The Warrior's first attempt at making pizza. Daughter of the King was showing him and giving him tips on how to make the best pizza ever...

Let me tell you... it was DELISH!!! Oh, and no, this was not our Thanksgiving dinner. I put this here cause they made the pizza the day before Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving we had our tradition dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, corn and desserts. YUM!

Still Waters is a fair maiden after my own heart. She's clicking away with her camera as her siblings are baking. So here we are, taking a picture of each other. I wonder how hers turned out?! LOL!

Christmas...

We had a great Christmas. Steps, JC & his family came and had Christmas Eve dinner with us. We had our traditional dinner. Pork (my Knight cooked it...and it was FANTABULOUS!), black beans, white rice, yucca, mojo, bread and salad. For dessert we had flan, striped delight and a delicious madarin yellow cake. I made the flan, Still Waters made the striped light and The Warrior made the madarin yellow cake. The food was WONDERFUL and the fellowship was even better. I must confess, that I didn't even get around to taking pictures on Christmas Eve. I can't believe I did that! :o( But below are some pictures I took on Christmas Day...

Daughter of the King was thrilled with the skin or is it decal for her laptop. It's so her. Look at that smile. She's so beautiful inside and out.

Our Fair Maidens and I are big fans of Audrey Hepburn. Earlier this month, our Fair Maidens, our Squires, JC, Steps and I had gone to Downtown Disney. In one of the stores, I found this calendar. I knew Soaring Amongst The Clouds would like it, so I bought it. It wasn't easy keeping it a secret from her.

Our Fair Maidens got their brothers a hat for Christmas. It amazes me how they all know each other. I mean, they really know each other. So they always buy the perfect gift. G.I. Joe and The Warrior loved their gifts.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my Knight? Well, I love him completely and unconditionally. Be still my heart...

G.I. Joe got an acoustic guitar and an amp. He wasn't expecting it. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful he was. We had him open the amp first. Then we told him that the store clerk told us he could us it with any guitar. He proceeded to tell us that the guitars we have can't be hooked up. We apologized and told him we were sorry and that we'd take the amp back. This went on for a little while. After everyone opened their gift and we were getting things cleared up, I went back into my room and brought out his new guitar. He loves it! Notice he's wearing the hat his sisters gave him.

No one would EVER guess that our fair maiden, Still Waters, enjoys watching UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) or MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). She's such a petite young lady and I had the hardest time finding something in her size and a clothing design the fit her style. But I did! She LOVED it!

Soaring Amongst The Clouds got JC the shirt he's wearing. A while ago, the two of them had gone to a near by town to walk through their downtown. In one of the stores, he saw a t-shirt he like, but they didn't have his size. Soaring Amongst The Clouds made a mental note and the search began. LOL! It took quite some time but she found it. The closest store that carried it was one hour away. Well, Christmas morning, he took of the shirt he had been wearing when he got to our Castello and put on the one Soaring Amongst The Clouds got him. Little does he know what a hard time she had finding that shirt for him. JC gave Soaring Amongst The Clouds something that's close to his heart... his chain with a cross. As you can see, she's wearing it.

JC doesn't like to have his picture taken. So I took this one without him knowing. I don't know why he doesn't like his picture taken. He's very photogenic. But he's very modest. Which is kind of rare. A lot of young men now a days are kind of full of themselves. They want the focus to be on them and they only care about what's going with them. JC isn't like that. He's all about others. It's refreshing.

Our children have a tradition they came up with all on their own. On Christmas Eve, they all sleep in the same room. Since we've been living in the Castello, they have always slept in Still Water's room. I love to hear them up there talking and laughing, while I'm downstairs wrapping. Be still my heart...

Abuela (my Knight's mom), came and spent a couple of days with us. She LOVED the digital picture frame we got her. It was my Knight's idea and of course it was a GREAT idea! He uploaded or downloaded which ever way you say it, old and updated pictures. We would find her sitting by the picture frame and looking at it. She would tell us about the pictures she was seeing. It was bitter sweet to watch her.

The day after Christmas, we went to the shooting range. We just had to try out The Warrior's Christmas present. Yep, that's right. He got a 22 caliber rifle and he LOVES it! Everyone got to shoot it...

... and everyone LOVES it too! We also practiced with dad and mom's weapon too. We had a great time. :o)

I must say The Warrior did an EXCELLENT job cleaning his rifle. He really knows how to take care of his weapon. He's been taught well by the master himself, my Knight.

JC gave the Squires a remote control helicopter. It was a HUGE hit! The were flying that thing all over the house. The Warrior decided to land it on the rooftop of one of the building in our Christmas village. He's so imaginative.

While dinner was being cooked, G.I. Joe, The Warrior, Daughter of the King and Steps played some card games. A good time was had by all.

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was a little rocky but God is good.. ALL the time. Praise God for faith... hope... and love.

My Sister's Visit...

The Boss Lady came up with three other friends. They went to the Holy Land Experience. They really enjoyed it. Well her friends decided to go shopping one night. So my sister and my family got together and went to Chili's. I'm 18 months older than her and I've ALWAYS (except during the our first 2 years of our lives) been shorter than her. LOL! So we joke around our big height difference. She calls me her little big sister and I call her my big little sister.

This is very rare... a picture with The Warrior smiling/laughing. The Boss Lady said something in Spanish and when we translated it, The Warrior couldn't help but laugh. I would share what she said, but the humor would be lost in the translation. But let me just say this, my children were shaking their heads in disbelief and laughing. Well, not just my children, but my Knight too. My sister is one of a kind and I love her.

Wow, a family picture. I was about to say, "and we are all smiling", but no. As you can clearly see, The Warrior has his self controlled soldier look on. Even so, I still like this picture. It might look posed, but those smiles aren't posed, they are real.

Ok, Still Waters and Daughter of the King were having wayyyyy too much fun at the expense of Soaring Amongst The Clouds and myself. You see my sister is very vivacious, outgoing, loud, friendly and fun. So when you are around her, you can't help but be caught up in the spirit of things. Anyway, being that we were at Chili's I had a margarita. Being that it was Chili's they have a 2 for 1. Well, Soaring Amongst The Clouds ordered a strawberry mango margarita. I didn't try hers, but mine was good. Anyway, our Fair Maidens were making fun of our "flushed" faces. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I are light weights. Two is our limit. All I'll say is that we had a FANTABULOUS evening! It was great seeing my sister again.

G.I. Joe's braces were taken off today!

YEAH!!! He had them on a couple weeks short of 1 year. He did a great job taking care of his teeth. Never broke a bracket! Didn't have to go in for an "emergency" visit or anything! He was a great patient. I'm so proud of him.

He has ALWAYS had a beautiful smile. One can't help but smile back when he smiles at you. He's got such charm and charisma. He reminds me so much of my brother. (sniffle... sniffle...
wiping away a tear)

My Knight bought a punching bag. Boys and their toys! LOL!

There is something about a manly man! Specially my manly Knight! Boys and young men today I find are a little feminized. I don't know, they aren't as manly as they use to be. But my Knight and our Squires sure aren't girlie. Oh, have you heard Brad Paisley's song, I'm Still A Guy? I really like that song.

The Warrior having a little fun with the bag. My Knight is loving every minute of it! Wish you could see the smile on both of their faces, while they were punching that bag. They were having a great time!

Afterward, I noticed The Warriors knuckles were red, scraped up and had started to bleed. My poor Baby! But he loved it! Now I hear all three of my men saying, "We want tougher knuckles, tougher forearms, touched knees..." etc... No girlie hands other than our Fair Maiden's and mine in our Castello. They are so cute! I just love my Knight and our Squires.

Well that's enough catching up for one day. I'll try to get back on track and keep up with more frequent updates...

Our Annual Disney World Family Trip

2008-12-14T21:27:00.051-05:00

I have to say, I honestly can't remember EVER getting to Disney before the gates opened. But this was a first! LOL! All the dwellers of the Castello went. We also invited 7 friends to come along for the fun. We had a great time!

While we waited for the gates to open, the crowd sang Christmas songs led by cast members. Cast Members are the employees that work at Walt Disney. Our wait time was less than 20 minutes, so it wasn't too bad at all. :o)

We were entertained by the younger ones playing with the hula hoops provided by Disney. Superstar is the one wearing the gray, GAP sweatshirt. Giggles is the one wearing the Cubs sweatshirt. Let me explain how they came by these pseudonyms. Superstar is quite the baseball player. Giggles, really enjoyed the Muppet 3-D movie at Hollywood Studios. I mean, he REALLY enjoyed it. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. He was really taken with the 3-D effect. It was priceless.

This is their sister, Dee. I'm having trouble coming up with a name for her. So we'll go with Dee for now. She was getting into the fun too.

Of course the first thing we went to ride was Space Mountain. But I have no pictures of that. While the older ones rode the roller coaster, Superstar and his mom, Lady D rode the Buzz Lightyear ride. Once we were done with Space Mountain, everyone rode Buzz Lightyear too. Yep, Superstar and Lady D rode it again. :o) From there, we were off to...

... the Race Track! Oh, this was the first time Superstar had been to Disney World. Can you see the joy in his face?! :o)

Dr. J (basketball is his sport) is the eldest of the four sibblings. He and G.I. Joe are the same age. They play basketball for the same school. He's a nice young man. I'm glad he and G.I. Joe are friends.

I'm so glad I got a picture of Dee smiling. Turns out she didn't want to go to Disney World. She wanted to go to school. She's a little social butterfly and wanted to be with her friends. Well, she ended up having a great time anyways. :o) How can you not?! After all, it's Disney World... The Happy Place! :o)

This is Giggles first time at the wheel. He LOVED it! LOL! I'm sure he can't wait until he's 15. But he's got a ways to go.

Gent that he is, JC let Soaring Amongst The Clouds drive. Oh, did I mention how cold it was? Well, it was in the low 40's. The sun didn't come out until almost lunch time. Wind was blowing too. So to us native Floridians.... it was FREEZING!!!

Steps was a gent too and let Daughter of the King drive too. Isn't that so sweet. :o)

I'm sure G.I. Joe can't wait until he's REALLY behind the wheels. Wish I could say it'll be a while. He turns 15 next year! YIKES!!! Be still my heart...

Next stop was the Tea Cups. Let me go on record saying, that I LOVE ROLLERCOASTER RIDES and ANYTHING THAT SPINS! But due to my ah... chiari issues, per doctor's orders, I'm not allowed. :o( So, I decided to hurry and take pictures before the ride started...

Four of the Castello dwellers...

Giggles wanted to ride by himself.

I don't think Giggles would of fit here anyway. Good thing he wanted to ride by himself. I took a picture of Soaring Amongst The Clouds, JC, Daughter of the King and Steps, but it didn't turn out. :o(

After the Tea Cups, we headed out to Goofy's Barnyard Ride. That was a big hit too. I went into one of the stores to "thaw out". Brrrr!!!!

It was decided that Splash Mountain was not going to be ridden. I'm sure no explanation is needed. Brrrr..... So we went on to Thunder Mountain.

Can't believe Still Waters got this picture. She turned around while riding, just to get this shot. Not bad! LOL!

I'm so glad this picture turned out. First family picture this year. I really need to take more "family pictures", but it isn't easy!

Group picture! Ok, now everyone smile! Come on now! Help me out... pleeeeease?! Pretty please?!

When we left the Magic Kingdom, we had a compartment on the monorail all to ourselves. Steps decided to lay on the top of the backrest. Once the monorail got going, he fell back. Way to go Steps! Daughter of the King really got a kick out of it. LOL!

By this time is was time for lunch (around 1p). We went to a McDonald's that right on the Disney property. After lunch, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and JC headed back home. JC had to go to work. They also had a viewing to attend after work.

Everyone else went to Hollywood Studios. They all rode, Tower of Terror, Rocking Roller Coaster and Star Tours. We saw the shows The 3-D Muppet Show and Lights, Motor, Action! We walked the entire park. We also saw the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It was absolutely beautiful! We see it every year and I still find it breathtakingly beautiful!

Well, we practically closed the park down. LOL! We were all very tired puppies. We stopped to eat dinner on the way home. There happen to be a Chick Filet and a Panda Express close by. The few that ordered Chick Filet carried their dinner and ate it at Panda Express. The workers didn't mind since most of us ate Panda Express "cuisine". I had never eaten there. It was pretty good for "express" Chinese food. The serving portions were very big. We even had enough left over for lunch the next day.

We all had a great time. Can't wait for our annual Disney World family trip next year. YEAH!!!

Facebook Chat

2008-12-03T10:28:00.003-05:00

I'm always logged on to facebook and my instant message account. This morning, my G.I. Joe decided to have some fun with his sisters. So he started having a conversation with them (on facebook chat) pretending to be me. This is what transpired...

G.I. Joe (pretending to be me): I like G.I. Joe the best.

Still Waters: ?
Still Waters: huh?
Still Waters: for what?

G.I. Joe (pretending to be me): 4 being so awesome

Still Waters: what did he do?
Still Waters: G.I. Joe is that you?
Still Waters: you stink

G.I. Joe (pretending to be me): no he doesn't

*At this point The Warrior got into it. He got on Still Waters computer and wrote, "you stink" to G.I. Joe. Then she got back on and said...

Still Waters: i didn't write that
Still Waters: nice try

At the same time he was doing the same thing with Daughter of the King. This is what transpired between them...

G.I. Joe (pretending to be me): i like G.I. Joe the best

Daughter of the King: funny G.I. Joe, I know this isn't mom. go do your school work!

End of conversation. LOL!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my children? Well I do. I love their sense of humor. My cup runneth over...

Tennis Anyone?

2008-12-01T23:03:00.017-05:00

Well tennis fever has hit the dwellers of the Castello. Last semester, Soaring Amongst The Clouds took a tennis class. She really enjoyed it. But she really hadn't had a chance to keep playing. Until.... recently. The tennis bug has bit us... and has bit us hard!

On and off for the last 3 weeks our Fair Maidens have been on the tennis courts. Steps and JC have also been bit. Some of their friends from church have also been bit. They have all been having a great time.

Did I mention that my Knight and I use to play tennis? Well we did. We really enjoyed playing too. We stopped playing once we had Soaring Amongst The Clouds. Remember, Still Waters was born 10 months after Soaring Amongst The Clouds. Daughter of the King came 18 months later. I never played again. LOL! I really haven't missed it. But I'm enjoying getting back into the swing of things (pun intended) with our children and friends.

Here are some pictures we took the other day...

I LOVE this man! It's been years since we've played tennis. But it's like riding a bike. It all came back. He was awesome!

Still Waters had never played before. She had a good time though. I'm sure she'll get the "swing" of things. Pun intended. *hee hee hee*

Time to say, "good game". I believe JC and Soaring Amongst The Clouds won. G.I. Joe and The Warrior put up a good fight.

This is probably one of my favorite shots of the day. I love how Soaring Amongst The Clouds is giving her all and she's in the air. TOO KEWEL!!!

JC giving it back to my Knight and Still Waters. JC and Soaring Amongst The Clouds beat my Knight and Still Waters. That's ok, a rematch will take place soon. ;o)

G.I. Joe is a natural born athlete. God has truly blessed him in the athletic "department".

I love being my Knight's partner. We had such fun!

We're taking a breather. We are watching G.I. Joe & The Warrior play against, Soaring Amongst The Clouds & JC. I love spending time with my family.

I thought this was so cute, I just had to share it. Daughter of the King and Steps lost against, G.I. Joe and The Warrior.

He must of had a great shot. The Warrior's smile makes everyone else smile too. It's contagious.

We have had a great time playing tennis. I like tennis cause it's a sport that the entire family can get into. It's also a sport that a couple can do together. Fun for everyone. Can't wait to hit the courts again!

Shoot & Clean

2008-11-23T18:36:00.012-05:00

My Knight and I went shooting today. No we didn't skip church. Sunday School was great! I'm always learning something new. My Knight is an awesome teacher. Big Church (as our children always called it) was awesome too!

After church we all went home to have lunch. Everyone had something different. Sunday's are relaxing days. We try not to cook big meals or anything like that. Once we were done with lunch, my Knight and I went target shooting at the indoor range. Our children stayed in our Castello. They wanted to start decorating for Christmas.

Ok, this was with Soaring Amongst The Clouds' pistol, Giovanni. Yep, she named her pistol, Giovanni. What's funny is that, that is my favorite Italian name. That's a name I would of picked if I had a pistol. LOL! It's also the name I wanted to name one of our sons, but my Knight wasn't to thrilled with it.

I was having a little trouble figuring out how to line up the dots in the scope thingy. But towards the end, I finally got the hang of it. :o) Notice the bullseye? :o)

For this target, I used my Knight's pistol. Which I LOVED!!! The barrel is longer, so it didn't have too much of a kickback. It was LOTS of FUN!!!

This was the target my Knight used. He reallllllly ROCKS!!! All the holes in the middle were from 21 feet away. He shot at each order from a further distance. I can't remember what it was though. Notice all the holes smack dab in the middle?! He's AWESOME!!!

Cleaning a gun is not something new to our Fair Maidens. So here, Soaring Amongst The Clouds got busy cleaning her pistol. Thank you sweetie for letting me use Giovanni. :o)

Father and Daughter, side by side. I LOVE this picture! You should of heard them talking and laughing. They were so cute!

Oh, by the time we got home, our Castello was already decorated. Well, all except the tree. Turns out some of our lights are no longer working. So I need to get some more. Traditionally we have homemade pizza for dinner on the day we put up our decorations. So that's what we had. Boy was it DELISH!!! Once again, our FAir Maidens outdid themselves! Thank you Baby Girls!

Cast Off!

2008-11-22T22:55:00.009-05:00

YEAH!!! The Warrior got his cast taken of on Friday.

It so happens that The Coach was The Warrior's football coach back in 2004. He's great with children and the children love him. So it was great that he was the one that put the cast on and took it off.

Did I mention that he was also the one that assisted the orthopedic surgeon years ago when The Warrior had surgery on his elbow? Well he was. He had fractured his elbow and needed two pins put in due to the severity of the fracture. Praise the Lord this time around surgery wasn't needed.

He said his hand felt very heavy and stiff. The area around the fracture was still a little swollen, but nothing compared to how it was before. The x-ray showed it healed nicely. We were told to buddy tape it for the next 3 weeks if he's going to be doing any kind of activities and when he goes to sleep.

This is the machine they used to cut the cast off. Looks like a circular saw thingy. It's and old model. Their new one broke. We hope we don't have to see these kind of tools again!

This is what the inside of his cast looked like. The Coach asked us if we wanted to keep the cast, we declined. LOL! No reason to keep that around. Four weeks of it was enough!!!

You can see where they cut through the cast. I don't know if I could of sat still while someone used that machine to "cut" my cast off. But The Warrior was calm and collected. He amazes me!

All in all he's doing great. His wrist is tender and sore, but it's because he's been unable to move it while it was in the cast. He's not complaining, but I can see him favoring it. He's such a tough little guy. He goes back for a check up in 4 weeks.

Today...

2008-11-19T22:20:00.002-05:00

... Soaring Amongst The Clouds, my Knight and I attended the concealed weapons class. It was awesome and very informative.

The class was 4 hours long. There were 20 people in the class. The instructor was funny and made the class very interesting. At the end of the class, we got to shoot a target. It was awesome!

I would of taken pictures, except, I broke my camera. :o( Yesterday, I was taking a picture of a rug I liked and I accidentally dropped my camera. Needless to say, I'm disappointed with myself and heartsick. I love taking pictures of my family, of our every day happenings and just stuff in general. I don't know if it's something work fixing or if I'm going to need to get a new one. :o(

Date Night!

2008-11-17T23:51:00.005-05:00

YEAH BABY!!! My Knight and I went out on a date. It was a last minute date. But even so, we had a great time.

Turns out he had a Little League Board meeting. So we decided to go out after the meeting. He's the secretary. He thought it was going to be a short meeting. So I thought, no problem, I'll wait in the car. Then I figured, why not visit the outlet store and see if I can find some clothing for The Warrior. He's growing like a weed!!! I found three pairs of jeans, shirts for him and the girls. I hit the jackpot! Then I noticed that I had been gone for almost 1 hour. So I hurried back. Well, they still weren't done. So I waited in t he car. The meeting took 1 1/2 hours!

I have to tell the truth, spending time with my Knight is well worth the wait. We went to Outback (my favorite) and didn't have to wait for a table. We talked and talked and talked some more. We talked about our children and what's been going on with who. We shared our thoughts and concerns.

It was good to reconnect. We really haven't had much alone time lately. We know it's important to make the time for each other. Now I'm not saying we haven't talked or anything like that. But making time like we did tonight, is very important. Yes, even after 26 years a couple needs date nights. :o)

It's good to know that we are on the same page. It's comforting to know that no matter what, we are there for one another. It's a blessing to know that we are till very much in love and are committed to each other and our family.

When we got home JC and our children were all on the couch watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. JC hadn't seen it yet. G.I. Joe wasn't home yet. He had a basketball game and it was an "away" game. JC hung out with us for a while. G.I. Joe got home around 11p and he shared a little about his game. He had a great time and the won. He even scored three times. YEAH BABY!!! I look forward to his next game. :o)

I know I've said it a million, gazillion times and I'll say it again... I LOVE MY FAMILY!!! I love hearing about their day. I love spending time with them. I love seeing their smiles. I love hearing their voices and laughter. Being a wife and a mom is all I ever wanted. Thank you Lord for blessing me above and beyond what I dreamt possible. My cup runneth over...

All-Star Soccer Tournament

2008-11-15T23:14:00.024-05:00

G.I. Joe was asked to play in a soccer tournament. Turns out that all the schools they played picked three players from each school to participate in the tournament. Even though G.I. Joe is not an enrolled student at the school he played for, he was chosen to play. What an AWESOME honor!

Did I mention that the other two students chosen from the school he played for and G.I. Joe were the only freshmen asked to play?! Well, they were. ALL the players on both teams were seniors. WOW!

I can't begin to share just how proud I am of my Squire, G.I. Joe. He plays with heart and soul. I pray that he will always have such passion in all he does. That he continue to walk the straight and narrow path God has chosen for him.

Allow me to share some pictures of the day...

G.I. Joe warming up. They were told they could wear their team shorts and would be given a white shirt. All the players on the team he played in, wore white shirts like his.

I know this looks odd, but I think it looks KEWEL! LOL! Pretty freaky looking!

The three players from the school he's playing for. They get along really well. G.I. Joe wore #9. Moon wore #6 and Man wore #16. Moon and Man have been playing soccer since they were wee ones. They are great players. G.I. Joe felt honored to be playing in the All Star team along with his friends.

You guessed it, another "hand" shot. My Knight didn't allow me the pleasure of taking his picture. :o( Don't know why, he's so awesomely handsome! His baby blues still make my heart skip a beat.

The evening was quite cold. Good thing we brought blankets and had thick towels. The quilt they are folding is one of my favorites. I wish it were bigger, but it's just a lap quilt. I love our colors... red, white and blue.

Can't believe I got this shot....

... or this one! I love to see their smiling faces.

Here we have the coaches and the players. From left to right... Coach Gerry, his son- Moon, G.I. Joe, Coach 24, and Man. Everyone had a great time.

Well what do you know, I did manage to get a picture of my Knight. :o) Too bad you can't see his baby blues. But that's alright, cause I get to see them. Be still my heart...

I love shots of people walking. Everyone's walking back to the car. Boy was it chilly! The wind was blowing too, which of course made it feel colder.

I took this inside the car. JC came along too. Did I mention that JC plays soccer? Well, he does and he's really good too! It was fun to "hear" him during the game. We all enjoy his company. Specially Soaring Amongst The Clouds.

We all went out to eat at a outdoor burger stand. I have to admit, the burgers were really good. After burgers, we went to Carvel. I LOVE their ice cream. Even though it was cold, I wanted to eat ice cream. Mainly cause we hardly visit that town and there isn't a Carvel in our town. I was freezing, but boy was my ice cream good.

Daughter of the King wasn't able to go with us because she had lots of homework. So she stayed home and got it done. I'm so proud of her for prioritizing. Way to go Baby Girl!

The Warrior spent the day with his best friend Bro. They went to see the movie Madagascar 2. It was Bro's sister's birthday and she had some friends over. So The Warrior was asked to go over and have some fun with Bro. He had a great day. Thank God for good friends.

All in all, we all had a great time. I hope JC did too. There is nothing like spending time with family and friends.

End Of The Fall Ball Season

2008-11-15T08:00:00.005-05:00

Thursday night was the last baseball game of the season. The Dodgers played AWESOME! They ten run ruled the Indians. Which is awesome considering they have been in a slump for 3 weeks. But they played their hearts out and showed what an awesome team they are. I was so proud of them.

Last night was our team end of the season party. We had a FANTABULOUS time! We decided to have a parents against the children baseball game. There was a purpose for this. You see we had a couple of parents who were... ah... a little critical (to put it mildly) about their children. This is the perfect time to say, that some of those parents learned their lesson. It's easier said than done. It's easier when you are "coaching" from the stands. The children OWNED their parents tonight and they (the children) were glowing!

I took some pictures of the games, but it was in the evening and none of them turned out well. :o(

Gun Toting Mama

2008-11-11T23:24:00.003-05:00

Today my Knight and I went to the gun range. :o) We signed up to take the class required to carry a concealed weapon. I'm sooooo excited!

I called yesterday to get some information. They told me the next class available isn't until the second week in December. We would have to pre-pay and pre-book for the class. So we went went to get that done today. Well, the class they told me about yesterday was already booked up. They had a class for the following week and it was halfway full already! Looks like lots of people are trying to get their permit before they take that right away.

We also signed Soaring Amongst The Clouds up to take the class. In order to get the permit for a concealed weapon, you have to be 21. So our other Fair Maidens aren't able to get their permits yet. But they will as soon as they turn 21. That's if the law doesn't change and we pray it doesn't.

In the mean time, we are checking around for suitable guns. Today I got to try a Glock 26. I enjoyed shooting, but I really didn't care for that particular gun. I like our 357 and our 38 special. So the search continues. I'm going to enjoy our search. :o)

A Memorable Baptism

2008-11-08T20:56:00.023-05:00

I felt led to share this because I don't ever remember being moved at a baptism as I was today. JC was baptized today. It was done at his home, in his pool. He was surrounded by his beloved family and friends. It was a beautiful, spiritual moment and I was blessed to have witnessed it.

Before he stepped into the pool, the pastor read Matthew 3:13-17. Needless to say, my tears started flowing...

I have been to baptisms before. But I've never been to one like this one. I was moved beyond words.

Before he was baptized, the pastor asked JC to share how he came to accept Jesus Christ. JC shared his testimony and it was from his heart. I'm pretty sure I was not the only one that was touched by his words.

When he arose from the water I couldn't help but shed tears. As he walked by us, to stand by the door, all I wanted to do was to hug him. I wanted let him know how we (his family & friends), the angels and God were rejoicing because he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I wanted to tell him, how his profession of faith and following it up with baptism was being celebrated in the heavens. There were others around and I held back. Maybe one day, I'll be able to share with him, just how blessed I was to be present at his baptism.

Swing Dancing!

2008-11-08T00:08:00.007-05:00

Yep, you read that correctly. Swing Dancing has hit the Castello. Alumni University offers free dancing lessons. Immediately following the lessons, they have a dance. To stay for the dance, they only charge $5. Not bad for a night of dancing!

Well, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, JC (more on him later), Daughter of the King and Steps went dancing tonight. From what my Fair Maiden's have shared, they had a great time. This was JC's first time. My Fair Maidens and Steps have attended on and off for the past 3 months. They are really enjoying it.

JC is a young man that started attending the college/career Sunday School class we teach at our church. He's a nice young man. We are really enjoying getting to know him. This time around, I didn't pick his pseudo name. G.I. Joe did. But it's well picked. He's a young man that's walking the path God's laid before him. I've been wanting to hear his tetimony, but I haven't asked him. I'd hate to come across as judmental or nosy. I'll just wait until he feesl led to share. I just love hearing people share their testimony. God's good... ALL the time.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds Is Now... 21!

2008-11-02T21:22:00.028-05:00

The other night I was in bed trying to go to sleep. But my mind was whirling with thoughts. When all of sudden, I realized that I had not written an entry about Soaring Amongst The Clouds 21 st birthday! What kind of mother am I!?!?

This is a belated honoring post about my first born... Soaring Amongst The Clouds...

Allow me to share 21 things about her...

* Her heart's desire is to be a wife and mother.

* Is a dreamer.

* Ireland fascinates her. She hopes to one day travel there.

* She loves watching romantic movies. If she doesn't like the ending, she'll make up her own. BUT she also loves to watch action/war movies.

* Her favorite movie is The Last of the Mohican.

* Enjoys listening to country music, but loves love songs of any genre.

* Reading is her passion...

* But so is traveling.

* She's a thrill seeker who enjoys adventures. She has gone: sky diving, kayaking, white water rafting, horseback riding, backpacking, hiking, snow skiing and indoor rock climbing. Hopes to do more of the same and others that I haven't mentioned.

* Has incredible athletic ability. Enjoys playing just about any sport.

* Loves children and children love her too.

* Is BEAUTIFUL inside and out, but doesn't see herself so, which makes her even more beautiful.

* Italian cuisine is her favorite.

* Loves going on mission trips.

* Would rather go on mission trips where she has to minister with physical labor than evangelize.

* When she was a little girl, she was quite the tomboy. Loved to dress in camouflage t-shirts and military green shorts and cowboy boots.

* Her favorite program is Man vs Wild.

* She's scared of spiders, bugs, scary movies (which she won't watch) and Fabio. Which I don't know why cause in The Last of the Mohicans, the main character, Nathaniel, has long hair.

* I know this is hard to believe (specially in this day in age) but, she's never been kissed. She's saving her first kiss for the man she will marry. She wants him to be her last, first kiss.

* She has a way of making up her own words and phrases. Around our Castello, they are known as"insert her real name here ism's". If you click on the link, you'll get a taste of her isms. :o)

* When she's around, there is never a dull moment.

Dearest Soaring Amongst The Clouds,

You have a way of brightening up my day. I love your isms, your facial expressions and your gestures. You are funny without even trying and I love it. I love seeing things through your eyes. God has gifted you in a mighty way. He's got and awesome plan for you. Continue to stay the course...

I love you...
Mom~

Update On The Dwellers Of The Castello

2008-10-28T11:10:00.009-05:00

* The Warrior fractured his finger at the knuckle, therefore requiring a cast. The cat is midway up his forearm.

* My Knight was at home on vacation all last week... YEAH!!!! We really enjoyed having him home with us 24/7. :o)

* Soaring Amongst The Clouds went to NC for a weekend with an adventure group from her university. They went kayaking, horseback riding and hiking. The purpose of this trip was to see the changing of the leaves. She had a FANTABULOUS time! Thank you for your prayers. God has really showered her with peace. She's having a great time this semester in school. She's getting to teach a Junior Achievement class in a local private school. She's enjoying working with children. She's meeting new and interesting people and loving it.

* Daughter of the King changed her major from teaching/minoring in sign language to communication disorders. With that major she'll be able to work as an interpreter and with the hearing impaired. She's thrilled, because she really didn't want to teach, she wanted to focus on sign language. :o) She's still trying to learn how to jump through professors hoops. So she's still struggling a little with her school work. We are so proud of her for sticking to it.

* G.I. Joe's soccer season ended last night. They made it to the 1/4 finals, but lost. This is the first time in eons since the school he played with made it to the finals. He had a great time and is looking forward to playing again next year. This season he scored a total of 5 goals. Which is great considering he's never played soccer before. We are so proud of how he has risen to the occasion.

* Still Waters is really blossoming! I'm so proud of her. She's loving what she's studying, digital art. School work and working in the media center is keeping her very busy. She's the one that's going to give me more gray hairs. She plans on purchasing a Harley once she finishes school and gets a job. YIKES!

* Basket ball season has started and G.I. Joe is playing in the JV team. He's never played basketball before. So, we went out, bought him basketball sneakers and a basketball. Now I get to watching him play my Knight's favorite sport. Hope he enjoys it too.

* My great-niece's christening was yesterday. It was good to see the family, except my sister in law and her husband. I avoided them like the plague. At the end of the day, my Knight hugged me and told me he was proud of me. I didn't loose it and treated them cordially. :o) The tigress in me comes out when someone messes with those I love. But I kept my composure. Thank you Lord.

* My mother in love came home with us from the christening and will be here until tomorrow. She has already made negative comments about us and our home. URGH!!! But I'm trying hard to grin and bear it. I tried my hardest not to let it get to me.

* I'm having trouble eating. I can't quite figure out what food give my belly a reaction. So I'm limiting my food intake. What's funny is that I seem to do fine with fast foods or restaurants food. Maybe it's my home cooking?! When I do eat, I eat very little, for fear that it will send me running to the bathroom. Which leads me to...

* My size 7 jeans can literally be pulled down without it being unbuttoned or unzipped! YEAH! The 3/4 is fitting a little loose, but still a good fit. Now if I could do something about the effect gravity has on my body! I'll leave it at that! LOL!

* We bought a new van and we are loving it! We all love being able to ride together instead of going out in two cars. :o)

* I'm trying really hard to be a good steward with our finances. Please pray for me not to be tempted. I'm even avoiding going to Wal-Mart. LOL!

My Poor Warrior...

2008-10-25T20:33:00.002-05:00

... was injured the other night while playing baseball. Soaring Amongst The Clouds has already posted about it. So please feel free to read her post called...

Baseball, Fractued Bone, and a Marine in the Making...

I will say that The Warrior is an unbelievable young man and has high pain tolerance. At the time of his injury we didn't now it was fractured. Yes it was swollen, but not to the point that it was concerning. Once we got home, had taken a shower and had eaten, we took a look at his finger and knee again. We applied ice, buddy taped his fingers and gave him some anti-inflammatory. During this whole time he didn't complain, wince or cry.

Next morning, the swelling had not gone down. We called the orthopedist and he worked us in. Sure enough he's got a fractured pinky. The fracture is at the knuckle. A cast was required. We were told to come back in 2 weeks . The cast will be removed and another x-ray will be taken. If everything is healing correctly, no surgery will be required. The the bone has moved out of place, surgery will be needed to put a pin in to help stabilize the bone for correct healing. We are praying surgery will not be necessary. He's already done through that with his elbow a couple of years ago.

Oh, did I mention that he also has a hematoma in his knee? Well he does. He got hit by a foul tip in the knee while he was catching. His knee was the size of a grapefruit!

The Warrior, amazes me. I know that I know, that God is going to use him in a mighty way...

Look What G.I. Joe Found...

2008-10-19T16:37:00.009-05:00

.... in my Gardenia flower bed.....

A dead bird. :o( We have no idea how he got there. You see we have no trees near our home.

So Still Waters dug a whole in our "pet cemetery". Which in a corner of our property. Well, I say pet cemetery, but we only have two hamsters buried there. We also have our Morgan horse, Smokey buried in our property too. But he's at the other end of our property.

She wanted to make sure the bird was buried nice and deep....

So she dug...

dug...

and dug until it was deep enough. That way the coyotes or foxes wouldn't be able to get to it.

Then she covered it up and packed it....

... until it was level with the ground. She did a great job. She my outdoor nature loving one. She the one with the green thumb. The pineapples she's planted are growing. I really need to take a picture and share it.

I'm Back!

2008-10-18T13:00:00.011-05:00

I can't even begin to share how busy I've been. So I wont' even try. But I will share what my family is up to...

As I type this, Soaring Amongst the Clouds is in North Carolina. She went with a group of student from Alumni University. This morning they went kayaking. They'll also be horseback riding and backpacking through the mountains. That's right up her alley. I'm sure she's having a FANTABULOUS time!

*Oh, feel free to visit Soaring Amongst The Clouds' blog. She's shared about a trip she took.

Still Waters and Daughter of the King are camping at the beach, with the college/career group from our church. They are having a great weather and LOTS of fun. I text them and asked how it was going. Still Waters said... FUN! Daughter of the King said... Good! They take after their dad... he's a man of few words. Straight to the point.

G.I. Joe scored 3 goals yesterday. Did I ever mentioned he's never played soccer before this season? LOL! Yep, he's played baseball since he was 5 and played some football too. He just started playing soccer 2 days before the first game. Which means he missed 2 weeks of practice. We even had to go and buy a soccer ball cause we didn't own one. I'm so proud of my baby. He's scored a total of 5 goals this season. :o) He's having a great time. Being that we homeschool under an umbrella school, he's unable to play for our local high school. But a local private school allows homeschoolers to play if the umbrella school you are registered with doesn't have an athletic department. Which ours doesn't. :o)

The Warrior is playing baseball and my Knight is coaching his team. It's such a blessing to see my Warrior and my Knight working together. You can see the respect in my Warrior's eyes when "The Coach" is talking to him. He really does look up to him, as it should be. My Knight is such a good role model.

My Knight is officially on vacation! YEAH!!!! That means he'll be home 24/7 with us. YEAH!!! I'm looking forward to having some one on one time with him. :o)

Well, that's all I can share right now. I have to get going. Come back cause I have LOTS of pictures and LOTS to share about two of my Fair Maiden's trip to Panama. You'll want to read about that.

I'm Blessed

2008-10-03T18:55:00.005-05:00

Last night around 9p, I let Nicodemus (our golden retriever) out. About 20 minutes later, I called him back in. As I was calling him, I saw him doing his business around where my Knight usually parks his car. I quickly got onto him and tried to get him to stop. I was too late. URGH!!!

I believe Nicodemus was missing my Knight. You see he had to work last night, so he was gone since noon. So as retaliation, he pooped right where my Knight parks his car. Not only that, but it was right where one steps out of the car. So I got the shovel attempted to "scoop" it up. But it wasn't happening. URGH!!! So I decided to hose it down. I cleaned the shovel and went back into our Castello. I sat down to watch the rest of the debate. After a while our children went to bed (at different times). After the debate I decided to change into my pj's and brush my teeth. That's when I noticed that poop was all over the bottom of my slippers. OH MY WORD!!! I was LIVID!

It was 10:30p and I was mopping the floor down stairs. I mopped the whole down stairs. I couldn't remember where I had walked so, I cleaned it all. URGH!!! I also bagged up my slippers and put it in the trash. Yes, it was that bad. How I didn't notice before, I'll never know. I can't believe I hadn't notice the odor. Needless to say, I told my Knight that once Nicodemus passes away, we won't be getting another dog. I know that's kind of drastic. But I said that in the heat of the moment. So that's how my day ended yesterday.

The last couple of days, I've been feeling a little under the weather. I thought that by today, I would be feeling a little better. Ah... no. But there were things that needed to get done. Pain or not pain, laundry, groceries and errands needed to get done. The library called,they had some items waiting for us and other items were ready to get turned in. When I got home from all the errands, the laundry had been done, all the clothes were folded and some were put away. I didn't ask anyone to do that for me. The Warrior had seen the basket of clothes on the couch and took it upon himself to fold it and put it away. I was blessed by his gesture of kindness.

G.I. Joe had soccer practice and The Wariror had baseball practice too. My Knight took The Warrior to his baseball practice. Did I mention that my Knight is coaching The Warrior's team? Well , he is. When I got back from soccer practice, I was all tuckered out. I was not looking forward to cooking a meal. When I opened the front door to our Castello, I was greeted by some wonderful aromas. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King had cooked dinner. I was blessed by their thoughtful gestures.

I'm so blessed. Thank you Lord for my family. I'm so underserving...

My Warrior Is 12... Be Still My Heart!

2008-09-29T19:54:00.009-05:00

I can't believe that MY BABY is 12 years old. Time has flown by so fast. But I'm so thankful that God has made it possible for me to be a stay at home mom. Not only that, but that He called us to homeschool. What an AWESOME blessing. I have been able to enjoy my children 24/7. THANK YOU, JESUS! \o/

In honor of my Warrior's 12th birthday, I will share 12 things about him...

* He loves animals. His favorites are cows and dogs... particularly german shepherds. When he grows up his german shepherd is going to be named, Smokey Stewart Stallion Johnson Buddy. LOL!

* He can't stand injustice and will stand up for those that need defending. On different occasions he has stood up for those that have been picked on, by others.

* If it was up to him, he would eat chicken for lunch and dinner. But he's also a lover of hamburgers... plain, nothing on them.

* He loves his sisters dearly and misses them terribly when they aren't home. When they aren't home, he'll say things like, "The house feels so empty when the girls aren't home."

* Gaming runs through his veins. There is no video game he can't master in a couple of days.

* His dad is his hero. He admires him, loves him and is proud that he takes the time to coach his baseball team. Once when a player was complaining about a call my Knight had made (when he was umping), The Warrior stepped up and told the player that, "The upm (his dad) was a fair and just man."

* He's quick witted. There is never a dull moment in our Castello. He keeps us smiling and laughing.

* The military fascinates him. He talks about being a Marine one day. He also wants to be a paratrooper.

* He's a homebody. He would rather be at home, than anywhere else.

* His favorite clothes to wear are... his pajamas. He's in them ALL day long. If we have to go out, he changes clothes to go out. But the minute we get home, he will change back into his pajamas.

* He enjoys photography and video taping. He is often found playing around with my camera taking pictures or video taping those around him.

* He has a HUGE Beanie Baby collection and he plays with them. I've seen him pretend that they are soldiers, ninjas, football players, baseball players and soccer players. He's creative and has an incredibly vivid imagination.

I have no favorites. I love each of my children unconditionally, with ALL of my heart. But I will be the first to say, that he is my favorite (insert his given name here) in the whole world and he knows it cause I've told him. ;o) Just in case I'm misunderstood... my (insert Soaring Amongst The Clouds' given name here) is my favorite (insert her given name here) in the whole world. My (insert Still Waters' given name here) is my favorite (insert her name here) is the whole world. Well, you get the picture. To me, my children are my favorite in the whole world. :o) I hope and pray they know it. I hope and pray that I've shown it.

My Dearest Warrior,

I get all emotional just thinking how fast time has passed. I can't believe that today we are celebrating your 12th birthday. You've grown up in a blink of an eye. What a blessing you have been. You bring joy and happiness to our family. God has a mighty plan for you. I look forward to the coming years. The best is yet to be. I love you Sweetie and don't ever forget it.

I'll love you forever...
I'll love you for always...
As long as I'm living...
My Baby you'll be...

love,
Mom~

Moving On...

2008-09-17T10:26:00.006-05:00

I know that I ended my previous post with the statement, "to be continued...". Well, obedient wife that I am (I hope you didn't spew on your computer!- LOL!), I will do as my Knight has suggested... "let it go, it's not worth your time." I LOVE my man!

God is good... ALL the time. So much has been happening. Some good and some not so good, but in the end, He gets ALL the glory. Cause He... ROCKS!

Where do I begin?! I'll start with the not so good. Not because I'm a pessimist (cause those that know me, know I'm not!) but because I just want to get it out of the way and focus on the good. :o)

Daughter of the King has not been feeling well. My poor Baby Girl has been running a temp (on and off) of 101-104! She's also been having some pain on her right side. First we thought it was stress related. She's not too thrilled about being a student at UCF. She wants to continue her studies in sign language, but taking the prerequisits is not what she wants to be doing right now. Well, the pain was getting worse and we took her in, cause we were thinking, appendicitis or something like that. I'll have to share what happened to my Knight, but I'll leave that for another day. Hope I remember! Anyway, when we got to the doc's office her temp was 96.4 and that concerned him. She was pale and anemic. After "poking" around on her belly he sent us to the hospital to have a pelvic/abdomen ultrasound (stat) and he ordered some lab work too. Praise the Lord it all came back negative. \o/ He asked us to keep an eye on her and he's leaning towards it being colitis. Now stress does not cause colitis, but it does aggravate it. URGH! Please keep our Fair Maiden in your prayers.

Still Waters is enjoying this semester. Well, kind of. Her university is undergoing some construction. Which means that the students have to find different routes to their classes and park in... ah.... Egypt. My poor Baby Girl has to tote a backpack that weighs 5 times her weight. Those that know her, know she doesn't even weigh 105 soaked and wet! Aside from all that, things are looking great for her.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds is staying pretty busy. She looking into taking a trip with a group of students to North Carolina. They will be kayaking, whitewater rafting, horseback riding and hiking. Exactly what she (and her siblings) loves to do. What can I say, our children are thrill seekers! Ok, now for this part of the news, you better sit down. Starting tonight she'll be taking swing dancing lessons. YEAH BABY! I KNOW she's going to love it. She's stepping out of her comfort zone, but I know she's enjoy learning these dances. YOU GO GIRL!

G.I. Joe's soccer team won yesterday, 4-2. He scored his first goal too! I'm sure they must of heard me in the next county... "YEAH BABY... WAY TO GO BABY!!!" What can I say, I couldn't help myself! The photographer got some good picutres. I'll post them as soon as I get them. :o)

Last week after the soccer game, the team and the families stopped at a fast food place to eat dinner. While we were in line, a teammate went up to G.I. Joe and told him he should go on a date with Country Girl. Apparently she likes him. Did I mention that she's 16 and G.I. Joe is 14? Well, now you know. G.I. Joe told his teammate that he's not allowed to date, cause we don't believe in dating. The teammate didn't believe him. So G.I. Joe told him, "Ask my parents." We were not even two feet away. The teammate came over and asked if G.I. Joe could take Country Girl out on a date. We smiled and told him, "We don't believe in dating." The look on his face expressed disbelief and confusion. He had never heard of people not dating. We talked briefly about what we believe and he was very surprised. I later talked to G.I. Joe about it and he told me he felt a little relieved. Boundaries are good. Too much pressure is put on the young to date and be a "couple". Things would be so much better, if they just hung out and do things as a group... supervised of course. ;o)

Fall Ball has started and The Warrior is thrilled that his daddy is coaching his team. Not only that, but his best friend Bro is also on his team. I know they will have a great time. My Knight is a wonderful coach. To him it's all about the children learning and at the same time having a little fun too... perfect balance.

Homeschooling is going well. At first we had some adjusting to do. We've been use to getting school done before our sport practice (be it baseball or football). Practices were usually at 6p or later. Well soccer practice is at 3p. Games are usually at 4p or 6p. That's one of the reasons why I love homeschooling... flexibility. After changing some of our routine, we are now able to get what we need to get done, done. Granted, there are still times when my Knight has to help G.I. Joe with a subject. But it's all coming along nicely.

So, all in all, things are moving along nicely. Life is good...

My Knight Was Right...

2008-09-09T06:08:00.005-05:00

Let it be known that my Knight is seldom wrong. I'm not saying that sarcastically. I'm just stating it as fact. :o) I love my man... I really do.

Airman G and Soaring Amongst The Clouds are no longer courting. Being a cadet at the academy, school work, distance and working on a relationship has proven to be a little too much for Airman G. It's good that this was realized now and not when too much had been invested in their relationship.

Now you must be wondering, what does my title have have to do with what I just shared above. Well let me tell you. During Airman G's summer break visit, my Knight told Soaring Amongst The Clouds, that it seemed to him, that Airman G had lost interest. But that he just didn't quite know how to end the courtship.

When she went to visit him with his family last week in Colorado, once again things were "different". Soaring Amongst The Clouds wondered and asked, but nothing was said. But actions spoke louder than words. When she got home she knew, but waited until they had a chance to "talk". Then he spoke the words that went along with the actions he had been showing since summer.

First off, I want to say that God is good... ALL the time. He always has a way of working things out for the best. I see a change in my Fair Maiden. She has matured. I know this can't be easy. But I see God's grace, mercy, love, peace washing over her. I have seen her smile more in the past couple of days than I have since her summer break.

I haven't seen him or spoken to him. But I'm sure he feel less stressed out. I know that it wasn't easy for him to balancing a relationship, family, friend, school and work. He'll now have the time to focus on being a college student. I know he will apply himself and do a great job.

Why am I sharing all this? Well, I know some will roll their eyes, but that's all right. :o) Parents do know best. Parents really have their children's best interest at heart. Did I mention that my mom knew that my Knight was the one for me? Well she did. She told me so when we were in high school. This is what she said, "Lady G, he is the one for you." Did I listen? No. But God knew even though I wasn't walking with Him, He knew. He brought us together after we graduated. I have often wondered what my life would of been like had I listened to my mom in high school. At least, I came to my senses. LOL! But even so, my life with my Knight has been a dream come true.

Now, The Boss Lady (my sister) was in a relationship with a young man. He was loved by the family and things were looking promising. Along came an old friend from high school and declared himself to her. My parents didn't think he was suitable, but her heart told her different. She ended her relationship and got married to her high school friend. They are now divorced. It's not an amicable divorce either. My poor niece and nephew are stuck right in the middle. My heart goes out to them. I sometimes wonder if things would of been different for her had she headed our parents advice.

I'm not saying that parents should run and live their children's lives. There comes a time when we have to leave and cleave to the one we are going to marry. What I'm saying is parents do know best. We should seek their counsel. We should remember everything they've taught us and make wise choices. Most important of all, we should ask our Father. After all, remember that, Father knows best...

to be continued...

Soaring Amongst The Clouds Is Back!

2008-09-04T13:22:00.012-05:00

She went to Colorado to visit Airman G. It was family weekend at the Air Force Academy. Airman G had asked her to go visit him with his family. They left last Wednesday and they got back late Tuesday night.

We missed her terribly. Yep, even her siblings missed her. What can I say, we are one close and loving family. :o)

This picture was taken by KT, she's Airman G's younger sister. Well she's his one and only sister. :) She's taking a photography class in college. So she was busy practicing while they were in Colorado. Out of all the pictures that were taken and they've shared with me, this one is one of my favorite pictures of Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She loves being outdoors. She looks so at home.

This is my other favorite one. They are both smiling and look happy. She was happy to be able to see Airman G.

My Knight and I have been to Colorado twice, to ski. We spent one week at Breckenridge. Then another time we spent one week in Winter Park. We fell in love with Colorado. Well, hearing her talk about Colorado, made us want to go back. So our next ski trip just might be to Colorado. :o)

Welcome back Sweetie, we are so glad your home. We missed you.

The Gift Of Good Intentions

2008-09-01T12:15:00.019-05:00

Those that know me, know that I have the gift of good intentions. Today, I'd say it's more like the curse of good intentions.

My Knight was outside putting up a net as a backdrop for our Squires to practice their hitting .

The Squires help dad built it. But I was only able to take pictures of this after it was done. Cause while they were busy doing that, I was "trying to help" out my Knight. With all the rain we've had our grass has really grown. So I thought, I'd mow the grass. I really do enjoy doing that. I'd rather do that than clean the Castello! NO KIDDING!!! Well, my intentions were good but...

... while trying to turn on the lawn mower, I apparently broke the hand lever that lowers the cutting blades. Who knew I was superwoman with super strength?! URGH!!! Can you say... chaching $$$!!! Well, since the blades were already lowered, I figured, "ok, might as well cut the grass." Right? Wrong... cause next thing I did was...

... run over the sewer system clean out thingy. Yep...

... pieces went flying everywhere! That did it. I LOST it! I was physically shaking from all the damage I had done. I was scared to tell my Knight what I had done. He already knew about the lawn mower. This was not going to go well. When I showed him, he didn't say a word. He just walked away. He needed to be alone and believe me. I wasn't going to go near him. He knew I hadn't don't it on purpose, that I had "good intentions". But I was beside myself. Did I mention that this was not the first time I had done this? Well, it's not. I've done this before.

A little while later, my Knight came over, hugged me, kissed me and said "I'm sorry Babe, please forgive me." I started crying and told him he had nothing to apologize for. I was the one that messed up... again. He just kissed me and told me, "Don't worry about it, it's ok. You're just my brunette, Lucy." Referring to redheaded , Lucille Ball from I Love Lucy.

His comment got me thinking. I use to watch that ALL the time when I was younger. Hmmmm... if it were up to the experts they would all say that the wacky things I do now are because of what I watched on tv while I was growing up. AWESOME!!! I can blame it all on Lucy...

Who Knew?!

2008-08-30T22:19:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago, there was a Nike commercial that went, "Bo Knows...". It was about a baseball /football player named Bo Jackson. The commercial had a ditty that said, "Bo Knows... baseball... Bo Knows football... Bo knows basketball... tennis, ice hockey." Then they show him trying to play the guitar along with blues legend Bo Diddley. At that point Bo Diddley says, "Bo (Jackson) you don't know diddley. It was a cute commercial. It all started because he played baseball and footbal. And he was good at it.

You must be thinking, "Woman, where are you going with this?!" Well, we have a Bo in our Castello, except his name is G.I. Joe. Let me tell you how, "G.I. Joe Knows..." came to be...

G.I. Joe has played baseball since he was 5 years old. He's very good at it too. Then a couple of years ago, he said he wanted to play football. Me heart stopped! My first thought was, "My Baby is going to get killed!" Turns out, he was very good at it too. He enjoyed it too. Much to mom's dismay. But he was asked to play in an AAU baseball team and he was thrilled about it. So football got put in the back burner. PRAISE THE LORD! \o/ After two seasons, of playing year round baseball, he went back to playing just little league. YEAH!!! No more traveling ball.

Now that he's a homeschooling high school freshman, who's enrolled in an umbrella school, he's not allowed to play for the local high school. We opted not to enroll him through the county because we didn't want him to graduate with a GED. As as student who is enrolled in an umbrella private school, he will graduate with a scholar diploma.

Since the umbrella school we enrolled with doesn't have an athletic department (no sports offered), that meant he could only play little league. Well, actually we could find any sports and be on a traveling team, but that's not cheap. It cost lots of $ and that's not a road we want to take.

So began our search to find a private school that welcomes homeschoolers. After many calls and inquiring with friends, we found a local private school, that is homeschool friendly. I called them up and asked if they had a baseball team. They told me yes, but during the Spring. Being that it's the fall season, they were offering soccer. The athletic director told me if he's interested in playing we'd love for him to come and play on the team.

After discussing it, G.I. Joe decided he wanted to play. Mind you, he's never played before. In order for him to play, he needed some soccer gear and a sports physical. All this by Monday's practice. Little did I know that the team had been practicing for two weeks already. So he was already behind schedule. Off we went early Monday morning. We bought his gear and got his physical done all by 2:30p. Practice was at 3p. Good thing the dr.'s office was close to the school.

He showed up early for practice. G.I. Joe is a friendly enough guy. But this was the first time he he would be with a group of youth that he doesn't even know. Well, turns out two of his friends from church started attending that school. One is a soccer player and the other decided to play this year for the first time.

G.I. Joe was tired by the time practice was over. Conditioning for soccer is different than for baseball. Before he left, the coach mentioned that all the players had run 5 miles during the week, so G.I. Joe had to run 5 miles before the first game on Thursday. So he had 3 days to run 5 miles. He's never even run 1 mile. My poor Baby! But he lived up to our family motto, "Max out or black out!" HOOYAH!!! He ran 2 miles on Tuesday, 2 miles on Wednesday and 1 mile on Thursday (game day). Mind you, he had practice on all those days (except Wednesday it's church day). He ran his miles at home.

Game Day was on Thursday. He didn't expect to even play cause he had joined the team late. So he was surprised when they called him over and told him to go in for someone. When I saw him in the field, my heart stopped. I mean, I knew he was going to play, but soccer is such a "physical" game. I didn't want my Baby to get hurt! But let me tell you... he held his own. WAY TO GO BABY!!! He almost scored a goal too! YEAH BABY!!! I should mention that we lost the game. I'm not trying to give excuses. The other team was better. We have some players that have never played before... including G.I. Joe.

When the game was over, we all went out to eat dinner. While at the restaurant, the coach came up to me and told me, "I thought you said he'd never played before?! He's a natural!". I thanked him and told him, it was true, G.I. Joe has never played soccer up until that week. When I went to sit down with some of the other moms, they made the same comment. Needless to say I was very proud of him. But then again, I'm always proud of my children.

Warming up a little before the game...

I believe this is the first time ever he's had an even number.

So, now you see why this week I was reminded about the Nike, "Bo Knows..." commercial. Except that (since this is my blog) I, saying... "G.I. Joe Knows... baseball... football... soccer...". I wonder what he'll try next?

My Fair Maiden.. Still Waters Is 20 Today!

2008-08-29T22:02:00.016-05:00

In honor of her 20th birthday, I will share 20 things about her that I admire. There are many more but I will limit my list to 20 for obvious reasons. :o) This is in no particular order...

* She's a wise Fair Maiden... wise beyond her years.

* Love of learning... if she doesn't know something, she will research it in detail.

* Her humor... has a dry sense of humor but at the same time, finds silly things funny, she's also quick-witted.

* Her kindness and gentleness.

* The loving way she always allows her brothers to go into her room to play or hang out while she's busy studying.

* Her gracefulness and elegance. It reminds me of the great actress of days of yore... like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

* She's a good steward of her time, talents and spiritual gifts.

* Her OCD which is not as bad as CDO. Her organizational skills ROCK!

* Her green thumb. This sweet child of mine can make anything grow.

* She's got great work ethics.

* Her "stick to it" attitude.

* Her faith and faithfulness.

* Her sense of style. She knows what she likes and wears what she likes. It matters not what "the world" says is "in". If she likes it, she wears it.

* The way she enjoys being outside and taking pictures of God's creation.

* She's so imaginative and creative.

* Her artistic ability.

* How even though she's 20 years old, she still enjoys playing and being silly with her siblings.

* Her wild side. Yep, she has one. True she doesn't enjoy roller coasters, but this child of mine wants a motorcycle.

* Her spiritual walk. It's evident that God is Lord of her life.

* How she is not swayed and sticks to her convictions.

Sweetie,

I'm so proud that God chose me to be your mom. You are such a blessing to me and those around you. You are a beautiful godly young lady. I look forward to seeing all the amazing , wonderful things God has planned for you. Stay the course...

love always,
Mom~

What...

2008-08-22T21:58:00.004-05:00

I'm up to...
* sitting on the couch next to my Knight and
* watching the Olympics while...
* listening to the movie, 300 which is being watched in the dinning room table by Daughter of the King and Steps, on her laptop (with speakers attached) ... at the same time...
* hearing G.I. Joe playing his guitar upstairs in his room (his door is open- Castello rules)

I'm thinking...
*I love my Knight and children
* people sure have a warped sense of what love is and how to show it
*I miss my brother
* how can people make comments about how others always want to get their way and are spoiled, yet they think the world revolves around them
* my Knight really makes his blue shorts look good
* G.I. Joe really needs a new guitar
* why do I keep stumbling and sinning
* why can't I die to self
* I hope my children will be loved by their spouse, more ( if that's possible) than what my Knight loves me.
* I don't want my children to suffer
* I really like the movie, 300
* I might have to get the soundtrack
* a pawn shop would be a good place to look for an acoustic guitar
* that maybe Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters should take some Salsa dancing lessons being that they're going to a wedding in Panama
* why didn't we hear more about Bryan Clay, the American Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist
* I need to buy more candles
* what restaurant would Still Waters want to eat at for her 20th birthday celebration
* I should of never highlighted my hair
* I don't like how my hair (highlights) looks like, now that my hair is growing out... URGH!!!
* my fingernails need to be polished
*

I'm thankful...
* that tropical storm Fay has finally said goodbye to Florida
* no lives were lost due to the storm
* it's the weekend and my Knight will have a chance to chill (hopefully)
* that all five of my children are home
* for God's grace, mercy and salvation
*that my Knight loves unconditionally
* both of my parents and sister are alive and well
* for the my sisters in the HAUS
* for friends and family
* my children don't mind spending time with their mom and dad
* my Fair Maidens believe that being a wife and mom is honorable (considering it's not what the 'world' teaches)
* coke and chocolate cake

What are you up to? What are you thinking? What are you thankful for?

What Our Day Was Like Today...

2008-08-21T15:14:00.067-05:00

Tropical Storm Fay is wrecking havoc on Central Florida. Classes were cancelled until Wednesday. Good ole' Fay has decided she loves Florida and wants to stay for a while. What is it with these storms that start with "F"? First Frances a couple of years ago and now Fay is doing the same thing. I say skip the letter "F" next year!

Still Waters got up early to attend her class today. She was scheduled to work this morning, since her classes start at 1p. But a little before noon, she got an email stating that all classes had been cancelled for the day. Even so, I took some pictures...

She has no idea how....

beautiful she is... inside and out. I love you Baby Girl!

Well, Still Waters later received an email from one of her professors. I won't go into details, I'll let her write an entry about it. Next thing I knew she was dressed and ready to go once again...

She decided to change her outfit. By this time, it was obvious Fay was going full force.

I love this picture. She doesn't like for me to take close-up pictures of her, but I can't help myself. :o) Sweetie, I would say I'm sorry, but I'd be lying.

I lover her rain boots! They have little cherries on them. They are just tooooooooo cute! Needless to say her feet remained dry and warm. :o)

So here is what we did today...

Daughter of the King went to church to quilt with the Ladies from the quilting ministry. Since they meet only on Thursdays, she won't be able to help out during the fall semester. I know she will miss quilting with the Ladies. But she'll be able to help out again in the summer. After quilting she went to have lunch with her friend KT. KT LOVES Chick-Filet, so that's where they ate. :o)

I took this picture while she was cooking dinner. She was happy because Steps was going to be dropped off at our home while his folks went to a bible study gathering. Well, due to "Fay" everything got cancelled. There's been lots of flooding and power outages. She was bummed that he wasn't able to come over, but she's very understanding. She's such a good girl. Sweetie... you ROCK!!!

Well, two thrill seekers decided to brave the wind and rain...

Soaring Amongst The Clouds is leaning forward as the wind is pushing her back. She is wearing my raincoat. Little did we know...

... it needed to be scotch guarded again. She got soaked! She started laughing when she happen to glance over at...

... The Warrior. He was being his goofy self. As you can see, his raincoat is repelling the rain. He didn't get soaked. Well a least not his upper body. His lower body got soaked.

Since they were already wet, they decided to just go ahead and take the raincoats off. Do you think they are cold? LOL!!!

Ok, we've had enough... it's wayyyyyy to windy...

...... and cold!!!

I couldn't resist, I had to take one more picture. The Warrior decided to make it one of his infamous "eye" shots.

While they were busy playing with thunder storm "Fay"...

...... poor Still Waters was trying to dry off one of her books. Apparently, her new backpack is not water resistant. One more thing that needs to be scotch guarded. Guess we're going to need to get a couple of cans of scotch guard.

This is what I found when I went to open our front door. Yep, the rain is coming in through the bottom of our front door. My hands hurt from the towel wringing I've been doing.

Earlier today Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I went out. Since it was still storming, I decided to wear.....

....... water shoes! I LOVE them! My jeans will get wet, but I know my feet will stay dry AND my toes won't freeze!

Here's a better look. They are cute aren't they?! But wait.........

My rain boots are cute too! LOL! I LOVE cute shoes! I'm not into fashion. I'm eclectic. I know what I like. If it's not in style, I wear it any way. Why allow others to dictate what to wear?

All in all, things have been quiet around the Castello. I'm just enjoying having my children home. I know the time will come when they won't be dwelling with us in the Castello. They will have their own Castello. Be still my heart...

Trip To Alumni University Parte Due

2008-08-18T18:49:00.029-05:00

Still Waters did share her pictures with me, but to tell you the truth, I didn't know how to access them. Even though they are on my own laptop! But alas, I figured it out... on my own I might add. Kudos for me!!! Below are some of the pictures she shared...

Here we are walking to the car. If you look ahead, the tree that looks like it's growing off the top of my head, is the one in my previous post. The one they all stood behind for a picture.

I decided to run ahead and take some pictures. My previous post has the pictures I took. If you look closely, you can see that Soaring Amongst The Clouds has her arm raised. She's taking pictures too. I have yet to see the pictures she's taken. (hint... hint) Please, no comment on how I look while I run. LOL!

Notice, Daughter of the King is getting ready to give me the "hand" pose she always does. URGH!!!!!!! That GIRL!

LOL! Still Waters caught me taking a picture of her and her siblings. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I ended up taking pictures of each other too. Yet again, I have yet to see the pictures she took. ( clearing throat... hint... hint)

I wonder if G.I. Joe is having flashbacks of the day he got hit while crossing a 10 lane highway. At least there was no traffic on this day.

We stopped at Chick-Filet for lunch. Little did I know that my children weren't really co-operating...

see..........................

what..........................

I..........................

mean....................!!!!!!! If you look behind Soaring Amongst The Clouds, The Warrior popped up to do one of his "eye" shots.

Even Still Waters got on the "give mom a hard time" band wagon. LOL! Look closely... right under my arm that's hugging Still Waters, you can see G.I. Joe. See the twinkle in his eye?! He's loving this!

This picture was taken for nostalgic reasons. Our children were reminising about their childhood play days in Chick-Filet and McDonald's playgrounds. Looking back, I can't believe I EVER let my children play in those germ, infested playgrouds! The thought of it, makes me cringe!!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?! OH, did you notice Daughter of the King attempting to get away in this picture? I tell you, what is a mom to do?!

On the ride back home, Gaz decided to come out and play. You see he was hiding in The Warrior's pocket. When ever he goes on a car ride, he usually takes two beanie babies with him. They keep everyone in the car pretty occupied. He really knows how to make them come alive. I should ask Still Waters to video tape him. (hint... hint) ;o)

I am a poster mom for the quote, "Do as I say and not as I do." Here I was driving. Yes, you read that correctly... I was driving. Dare I tell you how many "takes" it took to get this picture? Once again... I plead the fifth...

Youth-I-Versity

2008-08-14T14:48:00.089-05:00

VBS stands for vacation bible school. Different churches do it different ways. At our church, VBS last one week and it's from 9a-12p. We have volunteers come in and teach bible lessons. They decorate the rooms according to a theme. They have music time, recreation time, mission time, craft time, snack time and lesson time. The children have a wonderful time. This is geared for children who are in kindergarten through 6th grade.

Youth-I-Versity was introduced to our church when the youth minister came aboard. This is the same thing as VBS, but don't tell the teenagers. ;o) Everything is geared for teenagers. We have volunteers come in who take care of snacks and teaching different lessons/classes. Our youth minister gives each class a funky title, so the students have no idea what class they signed up for. Example: The class named, Girls Night Out was about the Proverb 31 Woman. Of course this was a girls only class. Since some teenagers work, this event goes from 7p-10p. Every night they have a lip sync contest. All song lyrics have to be approved. The songs have to be positive or christian songs. He has 6-7 performances a night. He also has "guest" judges (more on this later). There is a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place award. First place is usually a ticket to an event. This year on the last day, all who've attended youth-i-versity every night get to go to an amusement park and pay only 20$ plus their meal. The church will pick up the price for the rest of the admission. Pretty sweet deal! Every night they have some kind of tournament. So far they've had a 2 person team jump rope contest, the lip sync contests, carpet ball contest, hoola hoop contest and a pogo stick contest. On the first night we had over 70 youths! In the past, the first night has the lowest attendance. The big attendance days are Wednesday and Thursday. I can't wait to see what the attendance will be tonight.

Here are some of the pictures...

Our Master of Ceremonies was non other than.... Michael Phelps! (setting the record straight... this is an impersonator.) Needless to say, the crowd went WILD!

One of the guest judges was... that's right... Kung Fu Panda! He even did a little martial arts demonstration. Very much a la Jack Black. LOL!

On the last night... we were floored... when... Batman... dropped by. WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

The Warrior and his best friend... Bro decided, after a prompt for the Fair Maidens, to enter the lip sync contest. Still Waters and Daughter of the King sprayed some highlights on their hair and helped them pick an outfit to wear.

They began to goof around while waiting for their time to preform. Bro is also the youngest of five siblings. Like The Warrior, Bro has an older brother and three older sisters.

The Warrior and Bro have been friends since they were two years old. They are great playmates. At times they don't even talk, they know what each is thinking or what they are about to say. When they are together, you can be sure to hear a lot of laughter.

Not many are know the silly, funny, goofy, quick witted side of The Warrior. In fact, most were shocked that he preformed. The Warrior and Bro were the only up and coming 6th graders to attend Youth-I-Versity.

Jewels "performed" with....

Susie-Homemaker and Mr. Bill. They "sang" a song called, Tennessee Bird Walk. They did a great job. It was toooooo funny. Jewels was awesome with the, chirp, chirp. LOL!

The Warrior and Bro, "performed" a song by Reliant K. This is how it goes... "I.... just... wasted... ten... seconds... of... your... life..." . The song was exactly 10 seconds long. The youth got it, but the older crowd (other parents) didn't get it.

Let me tell you something about my Warrior. He is not one to call attention to himself. He was in a couple of plays when he was younger, but once he was old enough , he quickly realized he didn't "have" to be in choir or in plays. We know that it's not for everyone, so we never forced him. This performance was his decision. He did so good. I'm so very proud of him, for stepping out of his comfort zone. WAY TO GO BABY!!!

Another group "performed", Stomp, by Kirk Franklin. They did a great job. They had the crowd stompin'! The young lady in the front that's wearing a white cap, was AWESOME. She was really gangsta!

G.I. Joe was asked by some friends to perform with them. They sang, Which To Bury, Us Or The Hatchet by Reliant K. I knew my G.I. Joe had it in him, but I had not really seem him perform like this before. He's been in plays and musicals when he was younger. But my Squire has really matured into a fine young man. Be still my heart...

One is only allowed to be in two groups maximum. So needless to say....

G.I. Joe performed with another group of friends. They performed the song, Godspeed by Anberlin. They tied for third place with the Kirk Franklin group. They really did a great job.

This time around he was the "lead singer" or should I say the "lead lip sync-er"? I know I'm his mama, but he looked mighty handsome up there. ;o)

I'm sorry to say, that most of my pictures didn't turn out well. These were the best ones, if you can call them best. :o(

I'm so proud of my Squires. They did an awesome job. They knew all the words to the songs and were great performers. I can't wait to see the mighty way God will use them.

The grand prize for first place lip sync group was an admission ticket to Bush Gardens, for all the performers in the group. The group that won sang a song from Third Day, called I CAN Feel It. I wish I was able to take picture of their performance, but alas, my battery went dead. :o( Also, the pictures probably wouldn't of turned out either. :o(

All the youth at had attended all four day of Youth-I-Versity were able to go to Bush Gardens for $20. They got a group discount which brought it down a bit, but the rest that was owed, the church flipped the bill for it. All those that went to Bush Gardens had a great time. They had two bus loads. One bus, was one of those big ones that has a bathroom. The high schoolers rode on that bus along with some chaperones. The smaller bus (sits about 35) was for the middle schoolers and the rest of the chaperones. They left at 9a and got back around 12:30a. It was a long day, but they had a FANTABULOUS time! Daughter of the King and G.I. Joe went.

The Warrior and I made other plans. The Bush Garden trip would of been too long of a day for us. So instead, we got together with a group of his friends, who tunrs out that have older siblings that went to Bush Gardens. We decided to go to Animal Kingdom. The Warrior's best friend, Bro and his mom went with us. A friend from The Warrior's Sunday School class, Nerf Jr. and his mom went with us too. They also brought along with them a friend from the neighborhood. We rode all the "fun" rides. We had a FANTABULOUS time too.

All in all, the week was a HUGE success! They averaged about 50+ youths every night. The lessons being taught were great. The snacks were DELISH. The volunteers really went all out to make this a special event. People really don't realized all the hard work that goes into putting something like this on. But the rewards are priceless. The youth meet make new friends and grow closer together. The volunteers get to know the youths and they bond. Even newcomers leave having made friends. God is good... ALL the time! \o/

Trip To Alumni University

2008-08-07T23:18:00.002-05:00

The other day we went to the Alumni University, to purchase this semester's books. I saw this and just had to take a picture. It's a display for some breath mints. I had never seen this. At first I thought, "That's funny!" But to be honest, it's rude and crude.

I had to run ahead to get this picture. Notice, Daughter of the King has what I call, "the hand shot". You have no idea how many "hand shots" I have. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters took pictures too. I hope they post their pictures. Hint... hint!

I love tree shots. :o) I was trying to get them to peak from behind the tree. I didn't quite get the picture I wanted, but I like it just the same. :o)

Here they are doing the Logan Pose. On last years mission trip, there was a young man called Logan in Still Waters crew team. Every time they posed for a picture, he would put his hand on his waist and look to the side. They dubbed the pose, The Logan Pose. Well, we liked it so much, that it stuck with us.

Time to head back home. But we were hungry. So we went to eat lunch at Chick-Filet. I don't have the picture we took there, but they are typical of our family. I hope that Still Water shares them... HINT HINT!!!!!!!

FINALLY... Pictures!

2008-08-05T09:36:00.019-05:00

YEAH!!! I now know how to access my pictures! Let me tell you, I've missed not being able to share them or write about them. This is going to be an entry scattered with random pictures and captions. So prepare yourself...

This is what my laptop looks like now. I LOVE this design skin! There were a few others I liked, but I got his one. To me it says... hopeful romantic. Awe...

As I was walking out of my bedroom and heading to the kitchen, this is what I saw. So I went back into my room and got my camera. Doesn't my Warrior look toooooooo cute!?

While Daughter of the King was at summer camp, the rest of us went to MGM Studios. No wait, it's no longer called that, it's now called Hollywood Studios. I keep forgetting. Oy vey! While there we rode Toy Story Mania. I LOVED IT! I'd even say I enjoyed it more than the Buzz Lightyear ride at The Magic Kingdom. Soaring Amongst The Clouds rode with G.I. Joe and....

Still Waters rode with The Warrior. I rode with a mom from Australia. LOVED her accent! Her teenage son didn't want to ride with her. What's up with some of these teenagers?!

Here we are in line for the Toy Story Mania ride. We waited about 50 minutes. But it was inside and it was air conditioned. Definitely doable!

Soaring Amongst The Clouds is ecstatic! She just found out she was called to be a "stand in" for a movie that's being filmed. She doesn't aspire to be an actress, she's just happy to be making some good extra $$$!

The Warrior and his usual camera "look". For reals.... he's not upset. This is his, "hurry up and be done with it" look.

Still Waters has a beautiful smile. But then again, she's a beautiful Fair Maiden. Well, she's beautiful from the inside out too. I love to see her smile.

My 45th birthday came and went. I can't believe I'm 45! But I'm SOOOOOOO excited about it. I'm SOOOOOOO BLESSED! Daughter of the King was a way at camp, so she wasn't here for my birthday. :o( But I knew she was having fun. Still Waters and Soaring Amongst The Clouds baked my birthday cake. It was DELISH!

My Fair Maidens (minus one) and I. I can't believe we are all smiling. AWESOME!

My Squires and I. WOW! We are all smiling too. I need to write that down!

I love it when Still Waters is goofy. This doesn't happen often. She's really funny, but not many see this side of her. They don't bother to take the time to get to know her... their loss.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds wading in the pool. She didn't want to get her hair wet. Yeah right, as if the Squires are going to pass up the chance of getting her all wet. But they decided to be nice and abide by her wishes. Her hair stayed dry. They are sooooooo good to their sisters.

During All-Star season parents demonstrated some of their spirit by writing on the windshield's of their cars. Here my Squires are checking out what their mama wrote. Needless to say I wrote their names, numbers and... YEAH BABY!!! For safety reasons, I can't post the pictures.

Daughter of the King got into the spirit of things too. Way to cheer on your brothers Sweetie!

Ok, I think that's enough for now. Thanks for bearing with me. I sure do love my family and I love sharing my family with you.

What's Up With Couples Today?!

2008-08-04T23:33:00.002-05:00

I am troubled by what I am seeing in couples. Not just the one's that are dating or courting but those that are married too. I don't mean every couple but I'm seeing more and more couples treating each other with a lack of respect.

The other night our college/career group had a pizza/bowling fellowship. Everyone had a great time. But this is what I observed...

Singles...
* A couple of young ladies doing some "male bashing".

* Lots of flirting by a young lady (20 yrs old) who is single. She flirted with young men who are 3 years younger than her and one in particular who had a girlfriend but she wasn't able to attend the fellowship.

Dating Couples...
* Some didn't invite their girlfriends. They wanted to hang out with their guy friends. Even though their guy friends brought their girlfriends with them.

* Young ladies bashing their boyfriends.

* Young men putting their girlfriends down.

* Young ladies trying to "one up" their boyfriends.

Married Couples...
* No endearing words.

* No tender looks.

* No loving touches.

I don't mean that EVERY couple is like this, but I'm seeing more and more couples doing this. they don't edify each other. Sarcasm has become the second language. Punching and slapping is the norm.

Is it so hard to say something nice? To focus on the good instead of focusing on the negative? What wrong with being more encouraging, caring or loving? What's wrong with gentle and courteous gestures?

Friday night, I heard lots of laughter and saw lots of smile. That was all on the outside. But I wonder how some of the couples really felt on the inside? The thought saddens me.

Some couples were expressive with each other. They sat together and had fellowship with others. But in all honesty, it wasn't the younger couples doing this, it was the older couples. Well except for one young couple... Daughter of the King and Steps (see note below). The affection they have for each other was not only evident in the way they looked at each other, but in how they treated each other. I hear them say encouraging, edifying words to each other. They made time to fellowship with their friends too. Watching them gave me hope...

*Note: I'm not saying this because she's my daughter. I'm saying this because this is what I saw. Those that were there are welcome to comment and share what you saw.

Heavyhearted

2008-08-02T16:57:00.003-05:00

This has been a tough week. I will not go into detail, for I do not know the whole truth. It's not up to me to judge. I have to trust that God is in control and that there is a purpose for all things.

Our minister of music resigned. Since my Knight and I teach college/career Sunday School class, the minister of music's oldest daughter was in our class. She will no longer be attending our church, due to her dad's resignation. She's assured us that since she lives and works in the area, she will still attend fellowships and will keep in touch. Her brother and his lovely wife (they are 20and just got married this past March) have also decided not to attend our church. I know that what they are going through is not easy. My heart is heavy... they must be torn up about all this. Remember that this world is the evil one's playground. He delights to mess with God's people and create havoc and dissension. Please pray for all of them and for our church.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2008-07-28T13:26:00.012-05:00

FOR TODAY July 28.2008...

Outside My Window...
I see my G.I. Joe and The Warrior, swimming and playing in the pool. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King are sun bathing. The sky is covered with fluffy clouds that look like cotton candy, except they are white, not pink or blue. The sun is shinning brightly.

I am thinking...
How blessed I am that I'm able to be a stay at home mom. I'm able to enjoy having my children with me 24/7.

I am thankful for...
My Knight. He is a loving, caring, hard working man. Who loves God and his family.

From the kitchen...
Seasoned flank steak is marinating in pineapple teriyaki sauce. We will bake french... I mean American fries. A salad for those that like salad. For dessert, Still Waters will make her caramel, chocolate chip brownies. From scratch of course. ;o)

I am wearing...
My grey, University of Miami lounge pants and a green t-shirt to match. Well, the lounge pants use to be my Knights. Being that I shrunk them a couple of years ago, they now belong to me. It was done accidentally. ;o)

I am creating...
Absolutely nothing.

I am going...
To finish up the laundry. It's calling my name...

I am reading...
My friend's blogs.

I am hoping...
My Knight will be able to take some vacation time soon. He needs the break.

I am hearing...
My Squire's shower running, Nicodemus (our golden retriever) snoring, the humming of my laptop, my Fair Maiden's laughing and giggling while they watch a music video.

Around the house...
There is peace.

One of my favorite things...
My children's laughter.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Tuesday: pictures taken for future roles
Wednesday: church
Thursday: orthodontic appt. , youth work day, quilting, groceries
Friday: mowing, bowling with college/career group

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I love Cherry Blossoms, they are so beautiful. It makes me think of peace and tranquility Still Waters found this picture for me. It's now my desktop picture.

http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

An Angel Encounter

2008-07-28T12:31:00.006-05:00

I know some will have a hard time believing this, but it's the truth. There is just no other explanation. My G.I. Joe had an encounter with his guardian angel.

My Knight, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Still Waters , Daughter of the King and G.I. Joe traveled to Tupelo, Mississippi with some members of our church. They went with World Changers on a mission trip. You can read about how it all went in their blogs.

While they were there, one day the went out and about. My Knight and a group of youth were going to cross a 10 lane intersection. Some went ahead, while others lagged behind. Well, G. I. Joe saw two of his friends ahead of him so he was going to catch up. He thought it was an 8 lane intersection instead of a 10 lane. So he was looking one way and didn't see a car coming. So he was hit on his backside. He landed on the front hood of the car, was propelled and landed on his feet. He suffered no injuries. No bruises. No concussions. We know that God was looking after him.

I haven't even been able to blog, cause I just couldn't even put it into words. Every time I think about it, my heart beats faster and my hands start to tremble. My Knight called me as soon as it happened. This is what he said, "Babe, I wanted to call you and tell you before you heard it from someone else. G.I. Joe is fine. But he got hit by a car." My knees buckled and I felt my life being drained away. Immediately tears welled up and I began to cry. For me, the rest of the day was a blur. But I had to remain strong. The Warrior was with me and he needed me. It was hard for him too.

I know that G.I. Joe's guardian angel was the one that was standing between G.I. Joe and the car. He had no bruises where he was hit. I know the angel cushioned his landing, when he landed on the front hood of the car. He had no bruises from that landing. I know the angel carried him when he was propelled. He landed on his feet, totally unharmed. It wasn't his time. My G.I. Joe still has work to do for his Father. This has strengthen his faith. God is good... ALL the time.

I want to thank you all for keeping my family and those that went on this trip, in your thoughts and prayers. I know that God heard our prayers.

I have often thought, what if something happens to my beloved. But I always come back to, I know that I will see them again. Because I know where they will be... in my Heavenly Father's Mansion. I know they will be there. I hold onto His promises... I have hope. Do you know where you're going?

What's Up...

2008-07-16T19:25:00.007-05:00

We are missing our family big time. It's been a blessing to be able to speak to them daily. I've been able to send the e-couragram to them. For each of them, I sent uplifting quotes and messages. I'm glad to hear that they have received some of them. I hope the others show up too.

In the past, I've sent with them a letter to be opened every day. I would share with them what I would be praying for on that day. I would share a scripture or a quote. No two letters were the same. Which means I wrote, 32 letters/notes, because 4 of the dwellers attended the mission trip. They were gone for 7-8 days. This year, 5 of the dwellers attended the trip. So I would of written 40 letters/notes. Being that we've been busy with All Star games, I had not been able to do what I've done in the past.

I felt awful because this was G.I. Joe's first mission trip and I wanted to do for him what I've done in the past for my Knight and our Fair Maidens. He of course had no clue what I had planned. So he's really not feeling like he's missing out on anything. Sending e-couragram daily has really worked out. I've been able to send one to everyone that went on the mission trip from our church. Which actually is turning out to sending more than 40 a day. You see, 17 of our church members went on this trip. But it's easier to send via email. I don't have to write the scriptures or quotes. I can just copy and paste. :o)

Allow me to share what happened on Tuesday. I sent one of the young men a note. I told him I was praying for him and shared a quote. I also mentioned that he should not follow in his brother's footsteps. I told him to be safe. You see, last year his brother was tearing down a chimney, a brick fell on him and cut him around the ear. He ended up going to the ER and getting stitches. Turns out, the day before (unbeknown to me) he had been stung by bees, sniped by a dog and burned by an appliance he was trying to move. When he got my note, he couldn't help but laugh. God sure has a funny sense of humor. By the way, this young man is doing well. He's loving what he's doing. They are all doing a great job.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds sent me a picture via the phone. She was standing on the porch of a pretty, quaint, little, white, house. It had a wooden swing on the porch. I asked her if it was the home she was working on. The home was very small. Turns out, it was the birthplace of Elvis Presley. WOW! How AWESOME was that! My Fair Maiden looked so beautiful standing on that porch.

I have not talked to G.I. Joe since he left. He is definitely enjoying his independence. LOL! I can't wait to hear all his trip and seeing things through his eyes.

I've only spoken once to Still Waters. The one time I spoke to her , she told me she was having a great time. Out of all my children, she will have pictures to go with her stories. I can't wait to see/hear all about her trip. Sweetie, you ARE your mother's child. :o)

Daughter of the King and Steps were put in the same crew team. So I know they are really enjoying working together. I can't wait to hear what they both have to share.

My Knight's voice has a way of soothing my soul. Even though my days have been like a whirlwind since he has been gone, hearing his voice at the end of the day (or during the day) warms and calms my spirit. I can't wait to see him, hold him and hear him.

For those that know my Warrior, you will find this hard to believe. My Warrior has been sleeping in until 9:30a! He is our earliest riser. He takes after his daddy. But he has been sooooooooo tired from all the b-ball practicing, that he's been sleeping in. I myself, have been getting up at 10a. But then again, I've been going to bed at 3-5a!

The Warrior has been having 2 practices a day. Batting cages in the morning and regular practice in the evening. Except today we had a 2p practice instead of the 6p. The coaches had checked the weather report. Looked like we were going to have lots of rain, so they decided for an earlier practice. Which worked out great cause it started raining at the end of practice. It wasn't the usual rain, it was a torrential downpour.

Yesterday, I went with the Warrior to look for a tape he needed for his bat. Turns out, we didn't need the special tape, electrical tape was what we needed to seal the end of the batting tape. Since we were close to the mall, we decided to go see a movie. We ended up seeing Indiana Jones. We LOVED it! But then again, we are Indy fans. :o) After the movies, we shopped for much needed pj pants for The Warrior. We decided to have an early dinner at the mall. We had Sbarro's pizza. It was DELISH! By the time we got home it was time to get ready for b-ball practice. So off we went. Bedtime turned out to be 11p. well, at least for The Warrior. I went to bed at 3:30a.

Today my Warrior had practice at 2p. We showed up at 1:30 and were the first ones to get there. My Knight will be proud. I'm never the first anywhere. LOL! I never do this but I had some errands to run, so I told the coach I'd be back, but I wouldn't be gone long. I am not one to drop my children off and take off. But today I ran a few errands. I didn't want to do the errands after practice, cause I knew my Warrior would be tired. That's why I decided to run the errands during practice.

My errnads...

* Pay a doctors bill. You see, my Knight does the bills. He pays them electronically. This particular doctor can't be paid electronically. Our insurance company didn't send the doctor the payment, they sent it to us. Wouldn't you know it, it came in while my Knight was away. Not that he would of been the one to go to the office and pay, but of all weeks for the check to arrive it was this week. The week that I have been running around like a crazy mama. One more thing for me to do. But I do it with a cheerful heart, because it's one less think for my Knight to worry about. While there...

* I went to Quaint Little Town (cause it's close to the doctors office). I went to one of the shops and bought something that Soaring Amongst The Clouds has been wanting. I know she's going to LOVE IT!!! While there...

* I went into one of the other little shops and got something for Daughter of the King. I know she is going to FLIP! I know, I'm showing my age again. :o) But I don't care, I'm thrilled to be 45. :o) Oh, the something I got her was even on sale! I know it sounds awful to get a present on sale, but once I can divulge what it is, you'll see how awesome it was to get it on sale. :o) In fact, I'm am now planning on going back and getting some more. ;o)

* I stepped into another little shop and purchased a "Life is good" cap, for myself. Did I mention that's been my motto for years? Well it has. Now, someone else is making gazillions off of my motto. LOL! Oh well... tale e vita (such is life).

* Stopped at the health food store to get some Arnica gel. It works wonders on black & blues, sore muscles and ache bones.

* I took a picture of a store, whose name happens to be friend's name. She has an uncommon name. So I thought she'd get a kick out of it. Now if I only knew how to send it via my new computer. Oy vey!

* Bought some more gatorade and lifewater. We really should buy their stock. Our children do drink plenty of that stuff.

Once the errands were done, I went back to the fields. They weren't done yet! Goodness! Good thing it started to pour. YEAH!!!

For a treat, my Warrior and I went to Baskin-Robin/Dunkin' Donuts. I had a double scoop, strawberry ice cream sundae with whipped cream and nuts. I know, you don't have to say it, I'll say it for you, "What a pig!" Yep, and I scarffed it down too. :o) My Warrior had a double chocolate oreo shake. He had a small one. For some reason when he eats too much ice cream it makes him cough. I wonder what's up with that? Anybody out there know why this happens?

Until the end of July, McDonald's is selling their hamburgers for 49 cents. Sorry, I don't know how to do the cent sign on my computer, so I have to type it out. Their cheesburgers are .59. I could write it like that but it looks funny having a period in the beginning and the end. Oh, but I did write it like that. LOL!! Oooops! My Warrior had two plain hamburgers with an order of medium freedom fries. I'm sure the coah won't be happy. But hey, they all ran 7 laps today. My Warrior has "0" body fat. I'm not exaggerating either. It's the truth. I figured a little treat won't harm him. Who loves ya Baby?! I know, the cows do. That's another story for another day. I of course ordered a cheesburger no pickles and an order of medium freedom fries. I checked my Warrior's burgers, but I should of checked mine too. Cause of course, it had a pickle. YUCKO! At least I can take the pickle out without it affecting how my burger tastes, My Warrior (my G.I. Joe too) don't like anything on their burgers. Just meat and bread.

Once we got home my Warrior unloaded the car, while I fed Sapphire and Belle. Next we took quick showers and sat down to eat. We were both so tired, we just sat and relaxed on our couch wrapped up in his quilt. We had a quiet evening together. I love nights like these.

Tomorrow will be another busy day. Life is good. I'm so blessed...

Ooops, I need to share this. As we were walking out of the ice cream parlor (I know, I know, I'm dating myself again) It was raining. My warrior took off his baseball cap and gave it to me to cover my ice cream. His shake had a top. The he rain to the driver's side opened the door for me and closed it after I got in. Then he walked around to the other side and got in the car. Yes, that's my Warrior, the tender hearted. Be still my heart...

Update On The Dwellers Of The Castello

2008-07-13T01:52:00.003-05:00

* My Knight, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Still Waters, Daughter of the King and G.I. Joe (along with some of our church members) are on a mission trip in Tupelo, Mississippi. Please keep them in you thoughts and prayers.

* Yes, we know that's Elvis Presley's birth place. :o)

* Earlier today, I got a call from my Knight. This is what he said, "I wanted to tell you before you heard it from anyone else, our G.I. Joe is fine, but he got hit by a car." I felt my life drain out of me. The car was going slow so he wasn't "run over". He wasn't injured at all. He told me that it was like there was a barrier (I say an angel) between G.I. Joe and the car. He just kind of was pushed away by the car and only lost his balance. He never fell.

* We've been busy getting things ready for the mission trip. Lots of last minute shopping. Cause even though we made lists, we kept forgetting this or that. We should seriously buy Wal-Mart stock!

* I can't sleep when my Knight isn't home, cause I miss him so much, not because I'm scared. Why should I be, I have God with me. Oh yes, and a couple of Smith and Wessons and I know how to use them. ;0)

* The Warrior's baseball team are our District Champions. Sectional games are next week! WAY TO GO BABY!

* The Warrior and I are home alone! Oh my... what fun we'll have!!

* I'm sorry to say that I'm still not able to post pictures. :o(

* Did I mention I got a laptop for my birthday? Well, I did. I also got a BEAUTIFUL design skin for it. I'll post a picture when I'm able to.

* Yesterday I went to bed at 5a. Seems like today I'm doing the same... it's already 3:12a. I might as well stay up so the Warrior and I don't miss morning church.

* I miss my Knight and my children.

* This week I did 20+ loads of laundry. I'm not kidding! Oh and yes... all the clothes are put away.

* Today I rented some "chick" and other flicks I've been wanting to see. You know how it is... while the cat's away, the mouse will play. ;o) Sorry Babe, but I wouldn't put you through that. XOxoXO

* We have been at the ball fields every day (even on Sunday, but after church) for the past three weeks. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating a fact. :o)

* All three of our Fair Maiden's were given some scholarship money. They were complimented on the high GPA. I'm so very proud of them.

* Soaring Amongst The Clouds got a letter congratulating her for making the President's List. She attended a community college. They have a president, not a dean.

* Still Waters got a letter congratulating her for making the Dean's List.

Well, I kept it short. Not bad for an update of a family of 7. I can't believe it didn't take me all night to write this. I should do this more often. I feel I bore those that read my journal. So for now...

ciao~

Why Did My Son Have To Die...

2008-07-04T22:06:00.004-05:00

My Knight is not into big crowds. So going to see fireworks is not something he enjoys. In the past we have gone to Quaint Little Town to watch the fireworks. We usually get there just in time to watch the show. This is the first time in a couple of years that we stayed home.

We didn't get together with any one. It was just us, the dwellers of the Castello. My Knight just wanted to be home and relax. I know our children understand why their dad wants to be home and relax. But I also know that they would of loved to have invited friends to come and spend the day with us. Our Castello is our sanctuary. A place of refuge. The last couple of weeks we have been so busy, we really haven't had any down time. My Knight was looking forward to some peace and quite and no agenda.

Being that we were home all day with no plans, gave me lots of time to think about this holiday. Did I mention that my Knight was watching the History Channel...well he was. This is a popular channel at our home. So is the Discovery Channel. Being that it's the 4th of July, the History Channel mostly had programs relating to Independence Day.

I really didn't sit down to watch the programs, but I did catch glimpses here and there. At one point I heard something about George Washington and how a British soldier has not fired upon him. I was reminded about a book I read years ago. It's called, The Bulletproof George Washington, by David Barton. I highly recommend this book. I also thought about how this country came to be founded and why. I thought of all those that have bled and died in order for us to have freedom. Most importantly, I thought about my Lord and Savior... Jesus Christ.

A while ago, I received the poem written below. I think it's the perfect time to share it...

A mother asked President Bush,
Why did my son have to die in Iraq ?"

Another mother asked President Kennedy,
"Why did my son have to die in Viet Nam ?"

Another mother asked President Truman,
"Why did my son have to die in Korea ?

Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt,
"Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima

Another mother asked President W. Wilson,
"Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln,
"Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg ?"

And yet another mother asked President G. Washington,
"Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge ?"

Then long, long ago, a mother asked...
"Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die
On a cross outside of Jerusalem?"

The answers to all these are similar --
"So that others may have life and dwell in peace,
Happiness and freedom."

~author unknown

I'm 45!

2008-06-26T22:31:00.004-05:00

YEAH!!!! I can't believe it! I am only 5 years away from being 50! To tell you the truth it's been great!

Someone I know wished me happy birthday. But he said, "Happy 29th birthday." I know it was like saying, you'll be 29 forever, never hitting the 30's. But I told him thanks I turned 45 and I'm thrilled. Being 29 was great, but I wouldn't want to go back. I've been very blessed. Every step of the way has been great. Yes, I've had ups and downs, but they've helped me to grow stronger and be the person I am today.

I started my day the way I love to start my day. It just made my day. :o) My Knight was home with us today and it was great. Soaring Amongst The Clouds cooked my favorite breakfast, french toast and bacon. It was DELISH! Of course I drank my favorite morning drink... coke.

Still Waters baked a cake and decorated it for me. It was chocolate fuged. YUMMO!!! Since Daughter of the King knew she wasn't going to be here, she had given me a b-day card and wrote , "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL JUNE 26" on the envelop. So, today I got to open it. I was also given a card by the rest of my children. We are all big Snoopy fans. The cards were perfect.

Since my Knight had to work the concession stand for a little league All-Star game tonight, I was given my birthday present at lunch time. They got me a laptop computer. I'm overwhelmed. I'm so undeserving. I was speechless. But I'm grateful and thankful. Now I don't have to keep borrowing Soaring Amongst The Clouds laptop. Did I mention that Still Waters got me hooked on the game Mahjong? Well she did. When I'm having to take a rest, I sit on our couch and Soaring Amongst The Clouds lets me borrow her computer so I can play Mahjong. Now, I play on my own computer, updater my journal and check my email. This is AWSESOME!

Well due to a thunder strom, the game was postponed. They'll be playing tomorrow night. So my Knight called and asked what I wanted to eat. I know this sounds awful, but I've been craving a taco salad from Taco Bell. That's what I asked for and that's what I got. :o) After dinner we had cake. I had a wonderful birthday. My family treats me like a queen. They really do. I'm so blessed!

Like I've mentioned before, my picture files are not on my computer yet. I'll share pictures when I can.

Catching Up

2008-06-25T13:32:00.010-05:00

So much has happened in the last three weeks. I just don't seem to have the time or energy to sit down and write about it. But I must. I want my family to see things through my eyes. So here are some of the things that have been happening.

Something happened to our computer and I'm not able to access my files. Nothing is lost, PRAISE THE LORD! My Knight is man of many talents. I'm so blessed. He's going to fix it. I should be able to access my files soon. Thank you Dalin'!

Airman G was here for three weeks. He came and went. To tell you the truth, it didn't even feel like he was here. He really didn't come calling on Soaring Amongst The Clouds. He spent the time with his family and his friends. Soaring Amongst The Clouds was invited to spend time with him and his family. She was thankful for what time she did get to spend with him.

Daughter of the King is at youth camp for a week. We are all missing her terribly! One would think that in a home full of people, one wouldn't be missed. Au contraire! The dwellers of the Castello are REALLY missing Daughter of the King. Her name is mentioned gazillion times a day. G.I. Joe and The Warrior are constantly wanting to call her. They keep saying, "Time to check up on Daughter of the King." It awesome to see that our children really do love each other and want to be around each other. I'm so blessed!

My Knight and I weren't thrilled with the idea of her going to camp. But she is 18 and we allowed her to make the choice. This is her first time attending summer camp. She's been on mission trips. Our main concern is, how much time is idle time? Not that we feel our children need to be entertained 24/7. But we all know how satan loves to mess with those that have too much time on their hands. When they go away on mission trips, they are constantly busy working. Not much idle time. My hope and prayer is that lives will be touched and changed.

Still Waters planted our pineapples. It will be three years before we can see fruit, but we are excited about being able to eat our own pineapples. We will wait... patiently. Good things come to those who wait. :o) We just hope all this rain we are getting won't uproot them and kill them.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds is enjoying her summer time. She's done with her summer online course. The last couple of weeks we've (Soaring Amongst The Clouds, my Knight & I) have been having some talks. She's a wonderful, godly fair maiden. As parents we want what's best for our children. We trust and have faith that she will make wise decisions. We pray that God will help her to be discerning and continue to help her to be wise. She knows the decisions she makes today will effect her future. We aren't telling her what to do. All we want is for her to be happy.

G.I Joe is thrilled to be playing on the Senior Little League baseball team. He's a lefty when it comes to anything sport's related. For everything else, he's a righty. He's a pitcher and a first baseman. It's an advantage to be a lefty first baseman. He loves the game. To tell you the truth, I was beside myself when he was asked to play for the Senior team. It's an honor to be a asked to play in the team when you are 14 years old. The Senior team is for 15 year old players. After it hit me, I had some concerns. My G.I. Joe just turned 14 in March. The other players are 15 and some just turned 16! What will my Squire be hearing in the dug out?! But PRAISE THE LORD we have a great relationship with out children. You wouldn't believe the conversations we've had through the years!!! G.I. Joe is a wise young man and he's well grounded. He's made wise decisions in choosing friends. So, I'm sure he'll do just fine.

Euro soccer has started. We have been watching it. We don't watch it during the year, but we do watch it when it's getting close to the World Cup and the Olympic Soccer games. I know that some think it's boring or unexciting. But we love it! In no other team sport, does a player have to keep running continually. Scoring isn't easy. That's what makes it so exciting. Being that I LOVED our visit to Italy, that's who I always cheer on. Well, except when USA is playing. Then I'm USA all the way! But for Euro soccer, I was cheering for Italy. But they got beat by Spain. :o( I know I should be cheering for Spain being that my grandfather was born and raised in Spain. But I really love Italy. I hope to one day go back and visit again. Hey, I can always dream. :o)

Well, that's enough catching up. I'm hoping to be updating my files soon. I'm really not the one that updates it. My Knight is the one that does all my computer stuff. But he's so busy right now, so I'll just have to wait patiently. Which means you have to wait patiently too. :o) I've got LOTS of pictures to share. But all in due time...

I Blinked...

2008-06-19T09:09:00.009-05:00

... and then, we are celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary. I love my Knight more today than I ever dreamed possible. To think that on our wedding day, I thought I couldn't possibly love him any more than what I did on that day. But I do...

... he is my Knight in shinning armor. The Prince I dreamed of marrying. The kind man every parent dreams their daughter will marry. He's my wish come true. My answered prayer.

My Dearest Knight,

I remember as a little girl, thinking and wondering what kind of man I was going to marry. I made a mental list of I wanted him to be and how he would look.

At first my list went something like this...
* Blue eyes
* Someone like my dad
* Likes to play football
* Taller than me
* Stronger and faster than me ( I don't want a sissy boy)
* A policeman or a soldier
* Someone who wants a motorcycle

As I got older my list changed (somewhat) and it went something like this...
* Someone like my dad
* Someone who will love me and wants me for being me
* Someone who wants lots of children
* Someone of honorable character (faithful, honest, courageous, responsible, virtuous, etc...)
* A Knight among men
* An athlete
* Someone with blue eyes
* Someone with morals and values

Looking back, you are everything I ever dreamed of and more. Marrying you at the tender age of 18 was the best decision I have ever made. You've encouraged and uplifted me every step of the way. You have helped me to grow and blossom. I am the woman I am today, because of you. The past 26 years have been the best years of my life. Every step of the way I've thought, "It can't get any better than this." But is has. I look forward to the years ahead. I love you so much that at times I can't even find the words to express myself. The thought of you leaves me speechless. I'm so blessed you chose me to be your wife. Te amo...

forever yours...
Your Lady~

A Right Of Passage

2008-06-17T08:26:00.005-05:00

I don't know how I could of possibly forgotten to share this, but I did. Maybe it's because I'm in denial. Yep, I think that's why. *sniffle sniffle- as I wipe a tear*

My G.I. Joe shaved for the first time on Father's Day. What a Father's Day present for his dad. My Knight showed him how to shave properly. I wish I could of witnessed that moment between the two of them, but I was sleeping. I'm usually the last one to get up around here. I'm sure it wouldn't of meant that much had I been there clicking away with my camera. This is a moment that was meant for just the two of them. A moment for me to step back let them relish in the right of passage. I have had my moments with our Fair Maidens. I know I will have many more to come and so will my Knight. Be still my heart...

Happy Father's Day, Darlin'

2008-06-15T15:00:00.005-05:00

My Knight loves being home. He would prefer to stay home than go out to eat, to a movie, a themed park or anything like that. So to help celebrate Father's Day (his day), we wanted to do whatever he wanted to do...

Plans: Grill burgers and Italian sausages. Bake freedom fries. Have chocolate cake for dessert. Hang out in the pool and catch some rays.

What actually happened: It rained all afternoon. We ordered pizza. Ate chocolate cookies for dessert. Played a little Call of Duty 4. Watched Bourne Identity (he picked it).

Sometimes we don't get to do what we want. But PRAISE THE LORD we are flexible. :o) We didn't let that put a damper on our plans. I think he still had a wonderful Father's Day.

The dwellers of the Castello... my Knight, our Squires and our Fair Maidens.

An attempt to look tough, by the men dwellers of the Castello. The Squires couldn't quite contain their laughs.

My Knight surrounded by our beautiful Fair Maidens.

We spent the day together, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Steps came by later in the evening, he wanted to spend some time with Daughter of the King. This coming weekend he's leaving for summer camp. He'll be gone a week. They are wanting to spend some time together before he leaves. We know it's not easy, not being able to be with someone we care about. My Knight and I have been there. It's sweet to watch them. They played some cards and then we all sat to watch a movie. It was a perfect day.

My Dearest Knight,

Happy Father's Day! You are a PHENOMENAL dad. You have given our children the best gift a father could possibly give... unconditional love. My heart's desire is that our Fair Maidens marry a man a wonderful as you.

forever yours...
Your Lady~
XOxoXO

A Little Bit Of Life

2008-06-14T16:18:00.021-05:00

So much to share, so little time. So I've decided to share little snippets of the week and random thoughts.

This morning Daughter of the King woke up very early. She had signed up to take the ACT. She left before anyone was up. But she left this on the kitchen counter...

We all got a kick out of it. How sweet of her to think of The Warrior. When he saw it, he said, "She's a good sister." :o)

Earlier this week, we all decided to hang out by the pool. I was still inside, but most of the dwellers were out by the pool. Still Water comes inside and tells me, "Mom, dad is on the float in the pool. You should go and jump on him." Now this is something that I've done before. I thought it was a great idea. So I quickly went out and jumped on him. Little did I know the two of them were in cahoots. You see, they knew that I would check the water temperature before I go in. In order for me to even consider going in the pool, the water has to be warm. I'm talking bath water warm. See the expression on my face?! The water was no where near bath water warm. It was COLD! You can't see my Knight's face, but he's laughing. Cause he and Still Waters got me good. But that's alright, I'll get them back when they least expect it. ;o)

We noticed that our air conditioner was dripping. My Knight saw that it was clogged up. So he figured out a way to unclog it without having to call someone to come fix it. Did I ever mention that our Fair Maidens use to call their dad, MacGyver? Well, they did. My Knight can do just about anything. He's AWESOME! Oh, did I ever mention that around the Castello he's know as the walking talking dictionary? Well, he is. Someone else shares that title too... Still Waters. Well what do you expect, she takes after her dad. PRAISE THE LORD!

Here are Still Waters and The Warrior, trying to avoid my camera. But....

I'm relentless...... they finally gave in. But as you can see, The Warrior is strong willed. My padawan has much to learn. LOL!

Soaring Amongst The Clouds busy texting Airman G. Modern technology is amazing!

I didn't even know this picture was taken. As you can see the only missing is my Knight. He was the photographer for this picture. Thank you Darlin'. G.I. Joe decided not to go in the pool since the water was sooooo cold. Smart young man. Did I mention that I call Still Waters and The Warrior my little heaters? Well, I do. Being that I'm always cold, I love it when they sit next to me.

YEAH BABY!!! You are soooooo HOT! I'm talking SIZZLIN' HOT! And not because you were grilling steaks. ;o) Te amo!

We've been blessed to have Steps come and visit a couple of times this week. He fits right in with our family. It's very easy to see that Daughter of the King and Steps enjoy each other's company.

Driving up our driveway, Still Water noticed this flower growing by our gate. Since I had my camera, she had me drop her off so she could take some pictures. She then walked back home and went straight to her room. She searched the net and found out that without us knowing, we are growing Passion flowers. I just LOVE the name! Let me tell you... we have LOTS of passion in our Castello.

The Warrior's baseball team won the Districts Top Team Tournament. They were undefeated throughout the season. They were also undefeated throughout the tournament. They all played their little hearts out. There was even a write up in the paper about them. WAY TO GO DODGERS!

After one of the games we all went out to eat. Those that wanted to color were given some crayons and a coloring page. This proves that one is never to old to enjoy coloring. Did I ever mention that when I had my wisdom teeth pulled at the age of 22, my Knight bought me a coloring book and new crayons. I had a couple of days to recover from my procedure. We didn't have any children at the time. The coloring book and crayons were for me. I've always enjoyed coloring. Colors have a way of brighting one's day.

We have been getting lots of rain lately. Which is great, cause everything was looking so brown and dead. My gardenias are growing beautifully. I love stepping outside and being greeted by the aroma of my gardenias.

Well, I've shared quite a bit. What have you been up to?

The Good Sister

2008-06-12T13:29:00.003-05:00

Still Waters has been named, The Good Sister, by her brother The Warrior. Let me tell you how she came by this name...

My friend the Scrapper and her children, Airman G and KT rented a condo at the beach for a week. Tuesday morning, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King left around 8a. They went to spend one night with them. Not to worry, Airman G is a gentleman and Soaring Amongst The Clouds is a fair maiden. There were plenty of rooms for everyone. :o) The girls slept in one room. the Scrapper slept in another room and Airman G slept on the couch. Besides, those that know us, know that our children are very protective about each other. KT is very protective about her brother too. So all was good.

I was up when our Fair Maidens left. I was laying down on the couch watching fox news. The next one to get up was The Warrior. As he was walking down the stairs wrapped up in his quilt, the first question he asked was, "Where are the girls?" I told him they had left. Immediately his countenance changed. He was heartbroken. "They left without kissing me and saying goodbye." Yes, The Warrior said those exact words. He is the tender hearted one.

He loves to have his sisters home. It's not that they are constantly around each other. More often than not, everyone is doing their own thing. But I think he likes knowing that they are here. That he can go into their room, sit on their beds and just "hang out". He lit up once he saw that Still Waters was home. He told her, "You are the good sister."

Needless to say that once they got home he was thrilled, but that didn't stop him from giving them a hard time. But we all had fun with it. Even the fair maidens who had "broken" his heart. I love my family. I love the way they have fun with each other, without hurting each other.

Be still my heart...

All Tuckered Out!

2008-06-12T11:17:00.002-05:00

It has been non stop lately. I've been in an emotional and physical roller coaster ride. Nothing major has happened. But we tend to make mountains out of mole hills. If only I would just, be still and let God do his thing.

Physical roller coaster: The Warrior's baseball team, the Dodgers, won top team in our little league. Which means the Dodgers have been playing all the teams in our district to see who is Top Team of our district. They have been undefeated this season. Tomorrow night is the championship game. When they win (I'm speaking life into it), they will be have had an undefeated season. During this tournament, the scores have been, 29-0, 18-0, 26-0 & 11-0. We are all very excited and thrilled to be having such an awesome season. We can't wait for the All Stars games to start. We won't find out who's made the team until June 15. So for now we are waiting on pins and needles. :o)

Oh, I forgot to mention they reason why going through all this feels like a physical roller coaster ride . Well, we have to travel to the nearby cities to compete. The closest one is 45 minutes away. The farthest one is almost 2 hours away. The driving around gets to me. But it's all good. The Warrior is having fun and we are too. I sure wish we had a car that could fit all of us. That way, we'd only have to drive one car, not two. All this traveling it taking it's toll on my body. Since I have lupus, any kind of stress (be it good or bad) causes me to go into a flare up. The last couple of days, I've been chillin' out. I need to get better so I can attend the last game tomorrow night. GO DODGERS!

Emotional roller coaster: Hmmm, what to share and what not to share? That is the question. This is all I will say, when my children are hurting, I hurt too. Enough said. :o)

A godly woman I admire, recently (this week) had a series of post regarding, Parent's Love. But I feel that post not only applies to parents, but it can also be applied in all relationships. She has no idea how timely her post was. Lately in our Castello, we have been talking about precisely what she wrote about. But not from a parental view.

Below are three questions she asked:

1. Have I spoken words of love and blessings to my children?

2. Did I show love with my actions?

3. Did I treat my child the way I want to be treated?

Those are GREAT questions to ask ourselves. You don't have to be a mom to ask yourself those questions. I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt and friend. I can ask myself those questions in all my relationships. If you are a grandmother, girlfriend, son, nephew, grandson, boyfriend, father or brother, you can ask yourself those questions.

As a daughter, I answer yes to all those questions. Well, at least when it comes to my dad. We have an awesome relationship. Every time I talk to him, I tell him I love him. But as we all know, love is a verb, it's an action. So, I also show him I love him. Not just with hugs and kisses, but by doing things for him. As for my mom, it's a little harder for me. But I do try. Our relationship is a little strained. But that doesn't mean I don't love her. I do show her with my actions. I know I have to tell her with my words too, but somehow, expressing my love for with words is harder than showing her with my actions. I know I have to work on that.

Needless to say that all this roller coaster riding has me on my knees... praying. I know that God is in control. We grow through adversity, it builds character. Let me tell you, boy do the dwellers of the Castello have character! LOL! The love in our Castello over flows. My cup runneth over.

Let me end by asking this...

Do the ones you love, know you love them? Are you telling them? Are you showing them? If you are being convicted of loving a loved one, is there enough evidence to get you sentenced?

Thankful Thursday!

2008-06-05T08:32:00.003-05:00

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-1 Thessalonians 5:18

There are sooooo many things I'm thankful for. But for today, in no particular order, I'll share ten things I'm thankful for...

* God's grace and mercy- I'm such a sinner. I keep falling and He keeps picking me up.

* My Knight- He is so loving, understanding and patient. He doesn't just tell me he loves me, he shows me. Love is a verb.

* My children- I'm overwhelmed by the thought of them. My tears well up. I don't deserve to have such wonderful family.

* Unconditional love- I'm so unworthy.

* The Word- Without it, I'd be lost.

* Music- It lifts my spirit.

* True friends- They are always there in good and hard times.

* Season friends- God brings them in to my life for a reason and a season.

* My favorite programs- They entertain me.

* My dad- He is such a wonderful dad. Because of his example I married my Knight. Because of his example it was easy for me to accept God as my Lord and Savior.

What's Your Target

2008-06-05T06:41:00.003-05:00

I have some friends who are having difficulty "letting go". The problem is, they doesn't realize it. They'll see it in other parents, but they doesn't see it in themselves. How does one minister in a situation like that?

My Knight and I have always tried to "look or plan ahead." Since our children were little, we talked about everything. How important modesty was, about abstinence. How God created Eve, a helpmate for Adam. We talked about the importance of marriage, family and helping out. We talked about character and work ethics. This and much more were talked about throughout their years growing up. It was always geared at their level of understanding. The end goal was to help them grow to be men and women of God. It has not been easy, remember this is satan's playground. But with God all things are possible. We do not have perfect children, but then again none of us are perfect. There is only one that is perfect and that is God. But He is showers us with grace and mercy. How awesome is that?!!!

This morning, this is the devotion that was waiting for me. Isn't it just like God to do things like this. :o) I thought I'd share it with you. It's mainly geared for parents who are still rearing children. Which all of you know that we still have two younger ones. :o) But it might minister to someone with older children too. Please join me in praying for all the parents that are having trouble letting go.

What's Your Target
by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.
-Psalm 127:4

A few years ago my oldest son, Benjamin, and I got into archery. Never fear, the deer in the woods are safe. There is no chance of us hurting anything, I promise you. When we started, we were so bad that we missed the entire bale of hay.

As I've learned more about archery, I've discovered there is much more to this sport than meets the eye. And in the process I've gained insight into Psalm 127:4, which describes children as "arrows." For example, did you know that even the best manufacturer cannot make a perfectly straight arrow? You can pay more than $15 apiece for arrows, and even they aren't perfect. In the same way, no parent can produce a perfect child. It's impossible.

Also, there are many factors that can influence an arrow after you release it-wind, trees, rain. But do these factors keep me from releasing the arrow? No, because arrows are not meant to stay in the quiver.

As we raise our children with the goal of releasing them into the world to live independently, we see the pressures and influence of a culture that is increasingly turning away from God. But children were given to us to be released.

And what is our target? Where are we aiming our children? Toward a lifetime of walking with God. No matter what factors try to influence them, they will be fine as long as we point them to the right target.

Many parents, however, have never considered where they are aiming their children. We did some research and found that more than 90 percent of parents said they had plans for raising their children, but were unable to clearly explain them. They didn't have the plans written down.

It was baseball great Yogi Berra who quipped, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll get there every time." Does that describe you as a parent?

Ask God to clarify your target and grant your children favor as you release them toward it.

Discuss: What are your goals as a parent? At what target are you aiming your children?

My Knight's Blog

2008-06-04T13:43:00.003-05:00

If you want to read some "good stuff", head on over to my Knight's blog. You might even bookmark it. His blog is "meatier" than mine.

I tend to write about the dwellers of the Castello. I share scriptures, thoughts, quotes and tend to write more about what's happening in our lives. He is the "thinker". LOL! The "deep" one. I just wouldn't know what to do without my Knight! He keeps me up to date on what's happening around the world. He's just wonderful!

So, don't take my word for it. Hop on over to his blog and pay him a visit. Feel free to leave a comment. I know he would love to hear what you have to say. All views are welcomed. :o)

Enjoy!
Lady G~

Graduation Reception At Church

2008-06-02T16:23:00.006-05:00

Like I've mentioned before, this year we had 10 graduating seniors. The parents got together and hosted a "Graduation Reception". Well, the idea came from one of the graduates, KT. She's Daughter of the King's best friend. Her mom did something similar for her brother, Airman G two years ago. This time around, KT envisioned something a little bit different.

Each parent of the graduates, got to decorate a long rectangular table. They could do whatever they wished. I was amazed how each table really spoke about each graduate....

This is Daughter of the King's table. We used a Panamanian tablecloth. My aunt gave it to us the last time she came to visit. It's hand embroidered and appliquéd. It's absolutely beautiful! We displayed things that told a little about her. She has read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4 times! It's her favorite book. She loves to cook. Even though she uses the internet to get a lot of recipes, she also uses my Betty Crocker Cookbook. I got that as a wedding gift from The Matriarch (my sister in law) when we got married almost 26 years ago. She's going to continue her studies in Sign Language, so we displayed the first sign language book we had bought her. She loves all the of Louisa May Alcott's books. Her favorite movie is Disney's Little Mermaid. We also put a little quilt she had made for Kirsten, her American Doll. She loves babysitting, so we put some bubbles and the CPR Babysitting book she had to use when she got her CPR certification.

She enjoys playing games. Any kind of game. Lately she's been playing a lot of backgammon. She even plays with Steps over the phone. LOL! She loves flowers and candles. She has an old fashioned candle holder. She's such a girlie girl, but at the same time not. LOL! She plays softball on our church co-ed team. The leis are from the night the seniors were taken to Ohana's Restaurant. Between the candle and the glove Still Waters set up her computer. As a surprise to her sister, she had made a slide presentation. She had pictures of her throughout her 18 years. She put it to the songs, "I Hope You Dance and There She Goes". It was absolutely WONDERFUL! I hope to be able to put it on my blog sometime soon. Still Waters has to help me out. :o)

The baskets are filled with her favorite snacks. One basket had the Twix candy, which is her favorite. The other baskets had Chex Trail Mix and Goldfish. Come on now, that was a given, considering she babysits. ;o) We had invited all the families that she babysits for. There was plenty of Goldfish to go around. :o)

This was Step's table. I LOVE the collage Jewels made for him. The pictures were absolutely beautiful. He loves music and he's a great singer. He's taught himself to play the guitar and he's a wonderful musician. He also enjoys writing. At the far, right back side, you can see a brown leather case. I believe it holds some of his writings. Right in from of his guitar is a picture frame Daughter of the King gave him as his graduating gift. It holds the first picture taken of them when they started liking each other and a picture taken on graduation day. I was touched to see that he put it on his table.

Punch and cake was served. I and some of the other moms also took some more cake just in case. As it turned out, we all got to take our cakes back home. I presently have some frozen in my freezer waiting to be eaten at a later date. YUM!!! Each graduate table had some snack to share.

It was a wonderful night. A lot of our church family attended the fellowship. It was nice to get to meet the graduates extended family. It was such a hit, that we plan on doing this again next year. Except the post graduate's family will be the one getting things ready, so the graduate's family can just enjoy the fellowship without feeling like they have to "host".

Restraining My Lips

2008-05-28T14:53:00.003-05:00

This entry is not because of anything that's happened. This is just from a random thought. I shouldn't really say random, because it was prompted by a "thought for the day and a scripture for the day". So I guess in reality, it's not really a random thought. Did I lose you? LOL! Stick with me now...

Looking back, throughout my younger years (child, teen, 20's & 30's) I wasn't as verbal as I am now. I know, those that know me personally might find this hard to believe. LOL! I realizing, that I'm becoming ... or dare I say "I am" a person I really don't care to be.

I have noticed that I am not good about keep my lips closed and my words from blurting out. I am speaking my mind. Believe me, that most of the time, that is not a good thing! Who cares what I think any ways?! Why do I have to try to tell someone my point of view? Do they really care? Are they just provoking me or worse yet, am I doing the provoking? I need to keep reminding myself, "Who cares?!" LOL!

What should matter to me is what my Lord and Savior thinks about me. That I need to be careful of how I handle myself and what I say. Since God is living in my heart, I need to let Him shine through and not let my flesh get in the way. What should matter is what my Knight, Fair Maidens and Squires think about me. I should walk a path that they should want to follow.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Smart people speak from experience—smarter people from experience, don’t speak.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY: In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
-Proverbs 10:19

I need to have this tattooed backwards on my forehead. That way when I look in the mirror, I will be reminded! Well, maybe that wouldn't work, cause I don't look in the mirror that often. I know, I should have it tattooed on my hands. I can't help but look at my hands, cause I'm an addicted blogger.

Lord, thank you being the Almighty One. For your mercy and grace. For your unconditional love. Help me to be the woman you want me to be. Let your light shine through me. Keep me on the straight and narrow path. Help me not to provoke others and to keep my mouth buttoned up.

Funnies To Share

2008-05-21T13:07:00.010-05:00

The Warrior has always been fascinated by cows. He loves them. When we moved into our home, the property next to us had about 50 cows. One day as The Warrior and I were looking out the bay window of our family room, I started talking to him about God's creation. I was telling him how much God loves us. I told him how much his dad, sisters, Papi, Granma, and other family members loved him. As we were watching some birds fly, I asked him, "And do you know who else loves you?" He quickly replied, "Yes, the cows love me." I couldn't help but laugh. Here I was expecting him to tell me, "Yes mommy, you love me." Needless to say, I hugged him tightly and loved on those cherubic little cheeks. I told him, "Yes, sweetie you are right. The cows love you and so do I."

Today I was sitting on our couch and I decided to watch a movie we had checked out from our local library. Soaring Amongst The Clouds is my movie partner. We like the same type of movies. So I asked her if she wanted to watch the movie with me. She was in our living room playing Call of Duty 4. She replied. "Ummm... mom, I'm busy _______ ______." Still Waters and I couldn't help but laugh at her response. Now if any of you know my Fair Maidens, you know that they are loving, caring, gentle, warm hearted young ladies. Her response was not her typical response. She was totally focused on her game. Her soldering skills/shooting skills must be improving. She's received two friend requests. Not bad for a Fair Maiden. Way to go Baby Girl! NOTE: I had originally posted the words she used, but at her request, I deleted the words and put a blank. They weren't offensive words, but she feels that they were a little too... ahh... military. I'm beginning to regret having shared my blog with my children. Even though they are the reason I blog. So that they can look back one day and reminisce. I now know what it feels like to be censored. Have I mentioned how much I don't like censorship? Well, I don't. But being that I love my daughter and I don't want to "provoke" her, I will honor her request. Who loves ya Baby?! ;o)

Look at her intense concentration! She's out for blood! Watch out bad guys, she's comin' to get ya!

I've been wanting to do something a little different with my hair for quite some time. So I called the beauty school in our area to schedule an appointment with the daughter of a good friend. She's a student there. I know what you must be thinking, "ARE YOU CRAZY! You are going to let a student work on your hair?!" Well, this young lady is very talented at what she does. She's been coloring her own hair since she was 14. She is now 20. I've always admired her spunk and creativity. Not that I wanted anything that drastic. :o)

I've always wanted to have mahogany highlights. So that's exactly what she did. She did a great job, except that once she was done she realized she hadn't done highlight on the very front part of my hairline. She had used up all the mixture, so she went back and mixed some more.

This was the end result. If it had come out white, I would of looked like Rouge in the movie, X-Men. Except I'm much older, Hispanic, and not as pretty as she is. So, I guess I really wouldn't have looked like her. I can always dream right? LOL! The color came out like a red orange. It didn't match the rest of my hair. I know she was beside herself, but I told her it's not big deal. Which it really isn't a big deal. Hair can always be fixed, grown out or be cut. It's only hair! :o) I have plenty of baseball caps and hats. LOL!

Well I was due for a haircut. It's a been over 6 months since my last cut and my ends were as split as they could get. When I saw my stylist, she asked who did my hair. I told her the story and she said, it's a common mistake with student stylists. She offered to fix it. Turns out she only had to do three foils in the front. She matched the color beautifully...

This is what it looks like now...

Still Waters caught me saying something to The Warrior. I was concerned that he was going to try and push me into the pool.

Ok, this part is not a funny. But it's a bitter sweet moment. G.I. Joe's last game of the season was tonight. It might be his last little league game. You see he's 14. Next year he hopes to be playing ball for our local high school. Tonight they put him in to pitch the last 2 innings. He struck out the best hitter in the junior league. He's done this before and he's been the only one to do it this season. WAY TO GO BABY!!!! He always has a positive attitude. He's always grinning and smiling. I wish my eyes were a camera. So I could automatically capture fleeting moments.